Overview

An intransitive verb is a verb that does not take a direct object. In simple terms, the action or state expressed by the verb relates to the subject alone rather than being transferred to a separate direct object. Examples in English include sentences such as "She sleeps," "They arrived," and "The vase broke." These contrast with transitive verbs, which require a direct object: for example, "She opened the door."

Primary characteristics

Intransitive verbs typically cannot be followed by a noun phrase functioning as a direct object. They can, however, be modified by adverbial phrases or followed by prepositional phrases and subject complements. For example, "He laughed loudly," and "The team is confident" show how intransitive verbs combine with adjuncts or complements without taking an object.

Types and linguistic distinctions

Linguists often distinguish subtypes of intransitive verbs. Unergative verbs denote actions performed intentionally by an agent (e.g., "run," "talk"). Unaccusative verbs describe events where the subject undergoes or experiences a change of state (e.g., "fall," "break"). Some verbs are ambitransitive or ergative: they can be used either intransitively or transitively without changing form, as in "The door opened" (intransitive) versus "She opened the door" (transitive). For further technical discussion see a general linguistics resource.

Uses and examples

  • Pure intransitives: "She sleeps."
  • Unaccusative example: "The glass broke."
  • Ambitransitive/ergative example: "The book fell" / "He fell the book" (note: the latter is nonstandard in English but illustrates alternation in some languages).
  • Weather verbs: "It rains," "It snowed."

History, terminology and practical notes

The terms originate in traditional grammar: "transitive" (literally carrying across) and "intransitive" (not transitive). Dictionaries and grammars often label entries with abbreviations such as "intr." or "intrans." to indicate this property. In many languages the intransitive/transitive distinction affects case marking, agreement, and voice-like constructions.

Notable facts

Not all verbs fit neatly into one category: some are strictly intransitive, others strictly transitive, and many shift category depending on context or morphology. Recognizing intransitive verbs helps in parsing sentence structure, teaching grammar, and understanding how different languages encode participant roles.