Verb transitivity

Transitive (Vn) must have a direct object.

Transitive verbs always have an object.

• John ate lunch.
• Jane called me yesterday.
• The boy ripped the paper at the beach.
• My Mummy cooks dinner for the Mafia. (for the Mafia = prepositional phrase)

Intransitive (V) can take an indirect object.

An indirect object is a preposition + noun, or an adverb.

• The car stopped in the driveway.
• My mummy cookds for the mafia.
• The girl cried for a long time.

Di-transitive (Vnn) must have both a direct and indirect object.

• My mummy cooks me (IO) dinner (O) every day.
• My friend told me (IO) a story (O).
• Damien always reads his children (IO) bedtime stories (O).

Example:

• Transitive: My mother reads books (O).
• Intransitive: My mother reads to me (IO).
• Di-transitive: My mother reads me (IO) books (O).