PrintA transitive verb is one that has an object. The normal order of words in an English sentence is subject + verb + object.

Subject Verb Object
John likes milk.
The principal punished the boy.
The monk burned himself.
The thief was given a good trashing.
The government should ban all militant organizations.
The US has attacked Iraq.
The strikers invaded the platform.
The boy killed the spider
Alice wrote a letter.
She killed herself.

Notes

John likes…. what? Milk
The principal punished …whom? The boy

The answer to the question what? or whom? is the direct object.

Note the use of the reflexive pronoun (himself, herself)  as an object in the third and last example sentence.

Exercise

Fill in the blanks.

1. The teacher ——————— the boy.
2. He ———————- the bottle.
3. We have invited ———————-
4. She has learned ———————–
5. John broke ————————-

Suggested answers
1. Praised, 2. Opened, 3. Our friends, 4. Her lessons, 5. A glass

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