Some verbs do not require any objects to express their meaning. The action they express is complete by itself. These are called intransitive verbs.
| Subject | Verb |
| The sun | shines |
| He | slept |
| The dog | will bark |
However, some verbs require an object (the receiver of the action) to complete their meaning. These are called transitive verbs. Transitive verbs cannot make sense unless they are followed by a direct object. A direct object tells who or what received the action of the verb.
| Subject | Verb | Direct Object |
| Jorge | mailed | a letter. (What did Jorge mail? A letter.) |
| Julia | bought | a bicycle. (What did Julia buy? A bicycle.) |
| We | saw | our friends. (Whom did we see? Our friends.) |
Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on how they are used.
- Intransitive: My arm hurts.
- Transitive: I hurt my arm. (What did I hurt? My arm.)
In this example, the verb to hurt has two distinct meanings. The intransitive form means “to have a sensation of pain.” The transitive form means “to cause injury to.”