Transitive verb
A transitive verb is a verb that takes one or more objects. This contrasts with intransitive verbs, which do not have objects. Transitivity is traditionally thought of as a global property of a clause, by which activity is transferred from an agent to a patient.
Transitive verbs can be classified by the number of objects they take. Verbs that require only two arguments, a subject and a single direct object, are monotransitive. Verbs that take two objects, a direct object and an indirect object, are "ditransitive", or less commonly "bitransitive". An example of a ditransitive verb in English is the verb to give, which may feature a subject, an indirect object, and a direct object: John gave Mary the book.
Verbs which take three objects are "tritransitive". In English a tritransitive verb features an indirect object, a direct object, and a prepositional phrase – as in I'll trade you this bicycle for your binoculars – or else a clause that behaves like an argument – as in I bet you a pound that he has forgotten. Not all descriptive grammars recognize tritransitive verbs.
