Common verbs of each type
The verbs in the first row cause the most errors because learners add a preposition that they don't need.
| Type | Verbs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Transitive, no preposition | discuss, enter, reach, attend, resemble, emphasise, mention, lack | We discussed the issue. |
| Transitive | describe, buy, make, find, solve, raise, contain | The chart describes sales. |
| Intransitive | arrive, happen, occur, exist, sleep, die, rise, fall, emerge | Unemployment rose. |
| Intransitive, then a preposition | depend on, wait for, listen to, complain about, belong to | It depends on the weather. |
| Both | open, close, change, increase, decrease, grow, break, read, stop | The door opened. She opened the door. |
Verbs with two objects
Some transitive verbs, such as give, send, show, tell, offer and lend, can take two objects: an indirect object (the person) and a direct object (the thing). "She sent me a message" and "She sent a message to me" mean the same.
Explain, describe, suggest and say don't follow this pattern. Write "He explained the rule to me", not "He explained me the rule".
Why it matters: the passive
The passive turns the object into the subject, so only a transitive verb can be passive. "The thief stole the car" becomes "The car was stolen".
Intransitive verbs such as happen, occur, arrive and die have no passive form. Write "The accident happened at night", not "was happened".
Common mistakes
Wrong: We discussed about the problem.
Right: We discussed the problem.
Discuss is transitive and takes its object directly. The noun is different: "a discussion about the problem".
Wrong: The accident was happened at night.
Right: The accident happened at night.
Happen is intransitive, so it has no passive.
Wrong: He reached to the airport at six.
Right: He reached the airport at six.
Reach takes a direct object. You can also say "He arrived at the airport".
Wrong: She explained me the answer.
Right: She explained the answer to me.
Explain doesn't take the person as an indirect object without to.
Wrong: My sister is going to marry with an engineer.
Right: My sister is going to marry an engineer.
Marry is transitive. "Get married to" is also correct.
Using this in IELTS and PTE
IELTS Writing Task 1 uses verbs such as increase, decrease and grow in both patterns: "Sales increased" and "The company increased sales". Knowing which pattern you are using stops errors like "The number was increased" when nobody caused the change. In Task 2 and PTE Write Essay, "discuss about" and "emphasise on" are among the most common errors, and they are easy to remove.
5 questions
Exercise
Try each one, then open it to check your answer.
1. Transitive or intransitive? "The baby slept."
Intransitive.
There is no object.
2. Correct this: "The report emphasises on safety."
The report emphasises safety.
Emphasise is transitive. The noun takes on: "an emphasis on safety".
3. Can arrive be made passive?
No.
It is intransitive, so there is no object to become the subject.
4. Find the direct object: "The government built a new hospital."
a new hospital
It receives the action of built.
5. Correct this: "The meeting was occurred on Monday."
The meeting occurred on Monday.
Occur is intransitive and can't be passive.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs?+
A transitive verb takes a direct object ("She wrote a letter"). An intransitive verb does not ("She laughed"). A dictionary marks each meaning of a verb with T or I.
Can a verb be both transitive and intransitive?+
Yes, many can, often with a related meaning. "The shop opens at nine" is intransitive and "She opened the shop" is transitive.
Is discuss about correct?+
No. Discuss takes a direct object: "discuss the plan". You can say "talk about the plan" or "a discussion about the plan", because talk and discussion work differently.
What is a ditransitive verb?+
A verb that takes two objects, a person and a thing, such as give, send, show and offer: "He gave her the keys."
Keep going
More grammar lessons
© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy