A verb can be described as 

transitive or intransitive based on whether it requires an object to

express a complete thought or not. A transitive verb is one that only makes sense if it exerts its
action on an object. An intransitive verb will make sense without one. Some verbs may be used both
ways.

TRANSITIVE VERBS

Transitive verbs require an object to complete their meaning.

The word transitive often makes people think of transit, which leads to the mistaken assumption
that the terms transitive and intransitive are just fancy ways of describing action and nonaction. But
these terms have nothing to do with whether a verb is active or not. A better word to associate
when you see transitive is transfer. A transitive verb needs to transfer its action to something or
someone—an object. In essence, transitive means “to affect something else.”

or

James wrote the letter.

In this sentence, the act of writing is done by James.

The word letter shows what James wrote; it is therefore the object of the word wrote. The word
letter must be expressed to show what James wrote; it is required to complete the meaning of
the verb wrote. Wrote is, therefore, a transitive verb.

A transitive verb is a verb that requires an object to complete its meaning.

All transitive verbs are verbs of incomplete predication.

Note

The word transitive is derived from the Latin verb transire, which means to pass over.

In this case the action of writing is passed over from James to the letter and ends there.

How to Identify a Transitive Verb

Transitive verbs are not just verbs that can take an object; they demand objects. Without an object
to affect, the sentence that a transitive verb inhabits will not seem complete.

Please bring coffee.

In this sentence, the verb bring is transitive; its object is coffee, the thing that is being brought.
Without an object of some kind, this verb cannot function.

Please bring.

Bring what, or who? The question begs itself because the meaning of bring demands it.

Imagine that I say:

 I bought.

This sentence is incomplete. There is information that is missing.

You are probably wondering what I bought. (What did you buy Rob?)
Why is this sentence incomplete?

Because BOUGHT (the past of buy) is a transitive verb and a transitive verb needs an object after it
to complete the sentence. The object after a transitive verb can be a noun or a pronoun.

 I bought a car.

Now the sentence is complete and we can understand it. We added the object “a car” after the verb.

Let’s look at some other examples.

If someone says:

 She likes. (incomplete - incorrect)

You probably think … She likes WHAT? (What does she like?)
Like is a transitive verb so we need an object after the verb.

 She likes chocolate.

Now we know what she likes so this sentence is complete and correct.

 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 always ask “what?” or “whom?”

 What did you buy? – I bought a car.

 What did you cut? – I cut my finger.

 Whom did she invite? – I invited Angelica.

Subject + transitive verb + object

The same rules apply to phrasal verbs.

If someone says: “I’m looking for”

You would automatically think “Looking for what? Looking for whom?”

We need to add an object to make the sentence complete.

  I am looking for my passport.

My passport is the object (that you are looking for)

More about transitive phrasal verbs here: Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Transitive Verbs – Passive Form

Transitive verbs can have a passive form.

Active: Subject + transitive verb + object
Passive: Object + was/were + transitive verb (+ by subject)

 Thieves stole his car. (active)

 His car was stolen. (passive)

 Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. (active)

 The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison. (passive)

 They sold some books. (active)

 Some books were sold. (passive)

Learn more about the passive voice.

Example sentences using TRANSITIVE verbs

 We enjoyed the concert.

 I opened the door.

 She kicked the ball.

 He took me to a restaurant.

 I saw an accident.

 He copied my answer.

 The girls carry water to their village.

 Juan threw the ball.

 Could you phone the neighbors?

 I caught a cold.

 She loves rainbows.

 Lila conveyed the message

Each of the verbs in these sentences have objects that complete the verbs’ actions. If the objects
were taken out, the results would be illogical and questions would be raised in the mind of the
reader;
INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Intransitive verbs cannot have a direct object after them.

An intransitive verb is the opposite of a transitive verb: it does not require an object to act upon.

The subject is doing the action of the verb and nothing receives the action. An intransitive verb does
not pass the action to an object.

 He arrived.

Here we cannot have an object after the intransitive verb arrive.

You cannot “arrive something” (incorrect).
An intransitive verb expresses an action that is complete in itself and it doesn’t need an object to
receive the action.

 The baby smiled.

Here we cannot have an object after the intransitive verb smiled.

You cannot “smile something” (incorrect).

 The apple fell from the tree.

You cannot “fall something” so the verb is intransitive.

“From the tree” is not an object, it is an adverbial phrase ( = it acts like an adverb and tells us where
it happened).

The same rules apply to intransitive phrasal verbs. You cannot have an object after an intransitive
phrasal verb.

 I get up at 6 every morning.

Example sentences using INTRANSITIVE verbs

 We arrived around midday.

 She sneezed loudly.

 Your baby cries a lot.

 His grandfather died last year.

 The rain fell heavily.

 I was waiting but nothing happened.

 The jokes were not funny and nobody laughed.

 I walk to work every day.

 We sat on the bench.

 He stood in the corner.

 We waited but nobody came.
None of these verbs require an object for the sentence to make sense, and all of them can end a
sentence. Some imperative forms of verbs can even make comprehensible one-word sentences.

 Run!
 Sing!

A number of English verbs can only be intransitive; that is, they will never make sense paired with an
object. Two examples of intransitive-only verbs are arrive and die. You can’t arrive something, and
you certainly can’t die something; it is impossible for an object to follow these verbs.

Verbs that are Transitive and Intransitive

Many verbs can be both transitive and intransitive.

They can be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another sentence.
(These are called ambitransitive  verbs)

 You have grown since I last saw you. (intransitive)

 You have grown a beard since I last saw you. (transitive)

Sometimes the meaning changes depending on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive

 He runs along the beach every morning (intransitive: run – the action/sport)

 He runs a small grocery store (transitive: run = manage)

 The plane will take off in five minutes. (intransitive: take off = to leave the ground and begin
to fly)

 Please take off your shoes before entering the house. (transitive: take off = to remove
something)

Example sentences of verbs that are both transitive and intransitive

(transitive) - (intransitive)

I stopped the car. –  The car stopped.

I broke my coffee mug. – My coffee mug broke.
The summer heat melted my ice cream. – My ice cream melted.
She speaks Arabic. –  She speaks very quickly.
Mike is reading a book. – Mike is reading.
New Zealand won the match. – New Zealand won.

A good dictionary will tell you whether a verb is transitive (usually vt. or tr. next to the verb in
dictionaries) or intransitive (vi. or intr.)

Phrasal Verbs and Transitivity

Phrasal verbs can also be classified as transitive or intransitive.

Cindy has decided to give up sweets while she diets.

I hope Cindy doesn’t give up.

Give up is just one of many phrasal verbs that can be transitive or intransitive. Whether give up has
an object or not will alter the meaning it conveys. The first sense of give up means “to forgo
something,” whereas the second sense means “to stop trying.”

If we refuse to learn about transitivity, the Grammar Police will blow up our building.

When the Grammar Police confronted her about her verbs, she blew up.

The first sense of to blow up  means to explode, whereas the second sense means “to express rage.”

The Commonly Confused Verbs Lay and Lie 

 "There have been some difficulties with grammar since I last wrote.  Lay  is a transitive verb
(I  lay  down a case of claret every month; she  laid  the table),  lie  an intransitive one
(he  lies  over there; she  lay  in bed until noon). Do not confuse them." (Simon Heffer, "Style
Notes 28: February 12, 2010."  The Daily Telegraph)

Links: cover why we need transitive & itransitive

https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/transitive_verbs.htm

https://www.edexlive.com/opinion/2018/mar/22/why-you-need-to-know-the-basic-difference-
between-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs-2285.html

http://www.english-language-grammar-guide.com/transitive-verb.html

read transitive & intransitive verbs from complete book of English grammar