Look at these two sentences.

He tumbled backward.


It tuned its head.


The first sentence has an intransitive verb, a verb without an object. The second sentence has a transitive verb. It has a direct object. We can ask: “What did it turn?” You can answer. “Its head. It tuned its head.”


Say whether the verb in each sentence below


is transitive or intransitive. Ask yourself a


‘what’ question about the verb, as in the


example above. (For some verbs, the object is


a person, so ask the question ‘who’ instead of ‘what’).


(i) Jody then went to the kitchen.


(ii) The fawn wobbled after him.


(iii) You found him.


(iv) He picked it up.


(v) He dipped his fingers in the milk.


(vi) It bleated frantically and butted him.


(vii) The fawn sucked his fingers.


(viii) He lowered his fingers slowly into the milk.


(ix) It stamped its small hoofs impatiently.


(x) He held his fingers below the level of the milk.


(xi) The fawn followed him.


(xii) He walked all day.


(xiii) He stroked its sides.


(xiv) The fawn lifted its nose.


(xv) Its legs hung limply.


(i) Jody then went to the kitchen : Intransitive


(ii) The fawn wobbled after him : Intransitive


(iii) You found him: Transitive


(iv) He picked it up : Transitive


(v) He dipped his fingers in the milk: Transitive


(vi) It bleated frantically and butted him: Intransitive


(vii) The fawn sucked his fingers: Transitive


(viii) He lowered his fingers slowly into the Milk: Transitive


(ix) It stamped its small hoofs impatiently: Transitive


(x) He held his fingers below the level of the Milk: Transitive


(xi) The fawn followed him: Transitive


(xii) He walked all day: Intransitive


(xiii) He stroked its sides: Transitive


(xiv) The fawn lifted its nose: Transitive


(xv) Its legs hung limply: Intransitive


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