A transitive verbs is followed by its direct object, which is usually a noun or a pronoun. The object receives the verb's action. An intransitive verb does not transfer its action, but may be followed by a prepositional phrase or an adverb.
The verb spoke is intransitive because it is followed by the adverb loudly. It cannot transfer its action to the adverb.
Verb
- walk → walk / walks / walked / walked / walking (5 forms, regular)
- go → go / goes / went / gone / going (5 forms, irregular)
- be → am/is/are/was/were/be/being/been (8 forms)
- can → can / could (modal: only 2 forms, no -s, no -ing)
A verb is the one word class every English sentence requires. Carries tense (when), aspect (duration), mood (attitude), and voice (active/passive). Regular verbs add -ed; ~200 irregular verbs have unpredictable past forms.
Key insight: fix your verbs and most grammar problems disappear. Wrong tense, wrong agreement, wrong form — verb errors account for the majority of grammatical mistakes.
Object
- Sam fed the dogs. — direct object (what was fed)
- She sent him a present. — indirect object (who received it)
- She waited for Lucy. — prepositional object (after preposition)
- I gave her a book. — indirect + direct object together
An object is what a verb acts on or directs its action toward. Direct = the thing affected. Indirect = the recipient. Prepositional = after a preposition.
Test: Verb + what/whom? = direct object. Verb + to/for whom? = indirect object. After a preposition? = prepositional object.
Transitive and intransitive verb
- ✅ She broke the vase. — transitive (needs object)
- ✅ Rivers flow. — intransitive (no object possible)
- ❌ She arrived the airport. — arrive is intransitive (arrived at)
- ✅ The vase broke. / She broke the vase. — ambitransitive
Transitive verbs need a direct object; intransitive verbs can't take one; ambitransitive verbs work both ways. Many errors come from treating intransitive verbs as transitive (explain me ❌) or vice versa.
Rule: can you ask "[verb] WHAT/WHOM?" and get an answer? Yes → transitive. No answer possible → intransitive. Works with or without? → ambitransitive.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
- ✅ I went to the cinema yesterday. — past simple
- ✅ I have visited Paris twice. — present perfect (life experience)
- ✅ If it rains, I'll take an umbrella. — first conditional
- ✅ You should see a doctor. — modal for advice
These patterns are A2 — the second CEFR level. At A2 you move past survival phrases into real grammar: past tenses, the present perfect, basic conditionals, and modals for advice/obligation.
Marker: if you can describe yesterday and give simple advice, but struggle with abstractions or nuance, you're at A2.
Medium
- If I were you, I would apologise. — one rule (second conditional), but distractors like was tempt you
- Answers require active thought, not instant pattern recognition
- Vocabulary and context are realistic, not artificially simplified
- Usually tests one rule, but the wrong answers are plausible
Medium marks middle-difficulty challenges: A2–B1, one rule tested, but with realistic distractors that require genuine understanding.
Use "Medium" when Easy feels too obvious but Hard feels overwhelming. This is where most productive learning happens — the sweet spot of difficulty.