Look at the italicized words in the following sentences:

John ran very fast.

The birds flew away.

Alice sang a song.

Here the words ran, flew and sang tell us what John, the birds and Alice do. These words are called verbs. A verb is a word which tells us what a person or thing is doing. Note that the verb is the most important word in a sentence.

Now read the following sentences:

He is a clever boy.

It is raining.

They are playing.

We are coming.

Here the verbs tell us not about an action, but about a state of being or existence. A verb may also indicate possession, as in the following sentences.

I have two kids.

She has a beautiful necklace.

They have a car.

Thus we find that a verb may tell us about an action, a state of being or possession.

Transitive and Intransitive verbs

Read the following sentences:

Alice likes flowers.

I know Peter well.

She gave him a book.

She sat in a chair.

Alice likes … what? Flowers

I know … whom? Peter

Here flowers and Peter are the objects of likes and know respectively. A verb which has an object is called a transitive verb. Sometimes a transitive verb may have two objects – a direct object and an indirect object. In the sentence ‘She gave him a book’, him is the indirect object and book is the direct object. Note that the answer to whom? or what? is the direct object and the answer to to whom or for whom is the indirect object.

The indirect object, if it is short, comes before the direct object.

She called me a liar. (Direct object: a liar, indirect object: me)

I asked him a question. (Direct object: a question, indirect object: him)

They gave me a price. (Direct object: a price, indirect object: me)

Some verbs do not have an object. A verb which has no object is called an intransitive verb. Examples are: sit, sleep, run, walk, jump, swim etc.

Many verbs can be used both transitively (with an object) and intransitively (without an object).

She boiled some water. (Verb: boiled, object: water)

The water boiled. (Verb: boiled, no object)