0071594973.pdf

Jake swims

Subject + Verb

a lap.

• DirectObject

Transitive

Verb

++

Jake swims

Subject + Verb Preposition

in

Objectof Preposition

Intransitive Verb

Atransitive verb has a direct object.

The direct object is the noun a lap that receives the action

expressed by the verb swims.Jake swims is a basic sentence

that can stand alone. If you add the direct object, a complete

unit is formed by the subject, verb, and direct object, as

indicated above. The verb swims takes the noun a lap as

a direct object, and it is labeled as a transitive verb.

Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending

on the meaning of the sentence. The next example illustrates

the verb swims as an intransitive verb.

An intransitive verb does not have a direct object.

Here, the verb swims does not have a direct object completing

the sentence. Again, Jake swims is a basic sentence that

can stand alone, but it can also be extended to include a

prepositional phrase: in the pool. The noun pool is the object

Expanded Sentence with a Direct Object

Expanded Sentence with a Prepositional Phrase

!

Hint: A verb is transitive when an object is necessary to

complete its meaning in the sentence. The action of the verb

is transferred to the object.

the

pool.