She gave (to) me the sweets.
He threw (to) Mary the ball.Looking at complements
If the word at the end of the sentence refers directly to the
subject, it is known as thecomplementand the preceding
verb will usually be the verb ‘to be’.
Joan (subject) isa nurse (complement).
Michael (subject) wasthe winner of the race
(complement).Transitive and intransitive verbs
Verbs that are followed by an object are calledtransitive
verbs. Those that have no object areintransitive. Some verbs
can be used both transitively and intransitively.
Transitive verbs
If there is an object in the sentence, the verb is transitive.
He threwthe ball.‘The ball’ is the object and therefore the verb ‘threw’ is
transitive.
The doctor examinedthe patient.‘The patient’ is the object. The verb ‘examined’ is transitive.
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