Syntax

Transitive Verbs (TV)

VERBS THAT REQUIERE A DIRECT OBJECT TO
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE.

The Subject performs an action that affects

some person or thing.

Examples:
- Receive
- Eat
- Hide
- Forget
- Phone
Transitive Verbs
VERBS THAT REQUIERE A DIRECT OBJECT TO
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE.
SUBJECT + (TRANSITIVE) VERB) + (DIRECT) OBJECT

Helen received my email.

TV DO

They ate all my strawberries.

TV DO

Anthony stroked his beard.

TV DO

She phoned us earlier this evening.

TV DO
Intransitive Verbs
IF A VERB DOES NOT REQUIERE ANOTHER
ELEMENT TO COMPLETE IT, THE VERB IS
INTRANSITIVE.

Examples:
- I agree.
- No cure exists.
- They are lying.
- The protestors were demonstrating.
 Intransitive Verbs (IV)
HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE OTHER INFORMATION
AFTER THE VERB, SUCH AS ONE OR MORE
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES OR AN ADVERB.
Examples:
 Correct: The students arrived at the residency in
Houston.
IV PREPOSITIONAL
PHRASE

The patient’s health deteriorated quickly.

IV ADVERB
 Incorrect: The students arrived Houston.
The second sentence is incorrect because the verb
cannot take an object.
Some other examples of intransitive verbs are "deteriorate," "vote," "sit," "increase," "laugh," "originate,"
"fluctuate," and "trend."
Ahmad voted in the local election.
May I sit here?
Attendance increased at the weekly study sessions as finals drew near.
Susan laughed.
 Watch out! It’s not that simple.
Sometimes a verb can be both transitive and intransitive,
depending on the usage. If a verb has more than one meaning,
some uses could be transitive while others are intransitive. 

We drove to the mall. (intransitive)

My sister drove us to the mall. (transitive)
 VERBS

TRANSITIVE VERBS OF INTRANSITIVE VERBS OF

COMPLETE INCOMPLETE PREDICATION
PREDICATION
Verbs that Verbs that
do not need requiere some
extra details
extra details for the
to make the predicate to
predicate be complete.
complete.
 TRANSITIVE VERBS OF COMPLETE
PREDICATION (TVCP)
Verbs that convey a complete idea along with the DO, and there is no need for extra words to
complement the idea.

• I invited Angelica.
You cannot just say I invited because the sentence is incomplete. The person who is listening would probably ask
“Whom did you invite?” So we need an object (in this case a person) after the transitive verb invite.

• I cut my finger.
You cannot just say I cut because the sentence is incomplete. The person who is listening would probably ask “Cut
what?”
Cut is a transitive verb because you need to cut something (an object, a thing).

• The man stole a bike.

We need to say WHAT the man stole in order to understand the sentence/situation. Steal (stole is the past tense of
steal) is a transitive verb. The object in this sentence is the bike.
So we have seen that transitive verbs need an object after them.
This object receives the action of the verb.
TRANSITIVE VERBS OF INCOMPLETE
PREDICATION (TVIP)
Transitive Verbs take one object only, but still require some word or words to make the predication
complete.

The additional word or words by which the predication is made complete are called the
COMPLEMENT.

His worries drove him mad.

TV DO COMPLEMENT
Here are some examples…
(a) They made him king. (Noun)
TVIP DO
(b) The judge set the prisoner free. (Adjective)
TVIP DO

(c) They found her weeping. (gerund)

TVIP DO

(d) The judge sentenced the prisoner to be hanged.

TVIP DO

(Infinitive)

(2) They found the man asleep. (Adverb)

TVIP DO
INTRANSITIVE VERBS OF COMPLETE
PREDICATION
Intransitive Verbs of Complete Predication
This is the name given to any Intransitive Verb which makes complete sense
by itself and does not require any word or words to be added to it for this
purpose.

1. Rivers flow.
2. Winds blow.
3. Horses run.
4. Birds fly.
5. All animals die.
INTRANSITIVE VERBS OF INCOMPLETE
PREDICATION
This is the name given to those Intransitive Verbs which do not make
complete sense by themselves, but require a Complement to supply what the
verb has left unsaid.

1. A horse is a four-legged animal. (Noun)

2. That beggar turned out a thief. (Noun)
3. The man has fallen sick. (Adjective)
4. The dog went mad. (Adjective)
5. Your coat is of many colours. (Prepositional phrase)
6. The flower seems to be fading. (Infinitive)

When the Complement comes after an Intransitive Verb, it is called

a Subjective Complement, because it relates to the Subject.
 DIRECT OBJECT
 A word or phrase that receives the action of the verb.
Direct objects usually answer the questions “what?” or “whom?”
Direct objects aren’t always just one word; sometimes they are entire
phrases or even clauses. These phrases always act collectively as nouns,
so aside from standard noun phrases, they’re often relative clauses
(clauses that begin with a relative pronoun like “what”) or gerund
phrases (noun phrases that start with gerunds). 

They ate cake.

The foul ball hit a car parked outside. 
Don’t forget what your mother said. 
English professors love naming every tiny word in a sentence.
She phoned us earlier this evening.
TV DO
INDIRECT OBJECT

The indirect object receives or is affected by the direct object

An indirect object always needs a direct object with it and always
comes before the direct object.
Indirect objects answer questions like “to whom?” or “for what?”

Examples:
My brother loaned me five dollars.
TV IO DO

She gave the dog its dinner.

TV IO DO

Do I owe you some money?

TV IO DO
He always gives the class too much homework.
TV IO DO
THE OBJECTIVE COMPLEMENT

• An Object Complement is a noun that completes or

adds to the meaning of the direct object.
• Object Complements usually follow the noun (or
nouns) they modify.
• They’re used when the direct object would not make
complete sense by itself.
• An Object Complement answers the question
"What?" after Direct Object
Verbs taking the Objective Complement
-Verbs of calling and naming:
appoint, baptize, call, choose, christen, crown, designate, elect, name,
nominate.
-Verbs that take an adj. that express result as OP: push, fling, break, kick,
hammer, set, beat, boil, drive, keep, open, pack, raise, shout, sleep
-Verbs expressing feelings: like, want, wish, prefer, love, expect, hate.
-Verbs like: encourage, implore, tempt, warn, allow, permit, let, cause,
command, force,
lead, challenge, intend, trouble.
-Verbs expressing mental states, perception: know, believe, consider, find,
imagine, think,
suppose, guess, judge, regard,
- causative have / get.
- see- look at- watch- notice- hear- listen to- smell- feel- observe-perceive.
- find- leave- catch- get- keep- set- start.
TVIP + DO + OC
 SUBJECT COMPLEMENT

It gives us more information about the subject. It

usually comes after linking verbs and sense
verbs (including be, seem, smell, taste), and after
change of state verbs (including go, get,
become).
Verbs taking the Subjective Complement
Stative Verbs:
- be,
- look, sound, taste, smell, feel.
- appear, seem
- lie, stand, rest, remain, keep.
Dynamic verbs:
-become, come, turn, get, go, grow, fall, run.
Subject complements can be adjective phrases, noun
phrases, adverb phrases or prepositional phrases:

That rice tastes quite sweet.

(subject + subject complement: adjective phrase)
It seems a long time since this morning.
  (subject + subject pronoun: noun phrase)
A: Where are you?
B: I’m upstairs.
(subject + subject complement: adverb phrase)
It still smells of paint in here. 
(subject + subject complement: prepositional phrase)
Subject complements are not the same as objects.
Subjective or Objective Complement?
1. Pablo is extremely intelligent.
2. I find him intelligent.
3. Shyla eventually became my best friend.
4. Our neighbor's dogs are very dangerous.
5. After our disagreement on the first day of
school, Jenny became my friend.
6. We painted the ceiling blue.
7. Her boyfriend drives her crazy.
8. You are making me sad.
9. Paula is a good dancer.
10. Dorothy named her parakeet Onan.
11.They found her sleeping.
Let’s practice!
Divide the sentence in SUBJECT and PREDICATE, then find
the verb and write TV (if it is a TRANSITIVE VERB) AND IV
(if it’s an INTRANSITIVE VERB). When you find a transitive
verb, please underline the DIRECT OBJECT.
1. Ann’s family brought her birthday present.
2. The watch’s colorful face gleams brightly.
3. Amy wore her new watch to school.
4. The second hand sweeps around the numbers.
5. The numbers glow in the dark.
6. They chose a watch with an orange band.