Now, it is indispensable to the nature of a verb that it is “a word used as a predicate.”  Examine the sentences in Sec. 200:  In (1), obeyed is a predicate; in (2, a), may be considered is a unit in doing the work of one predicate; in (2, b), might have been anticipated is also one predicate, but fearing is not a predicate, hence is not a verb; in (3, b), to go is no predicate, and not a verb; in (3, c), to pretend and preying have something of verbal nature in expressing action in a faint and general way, but cannot be predicates.

In the sentence, “Put money in thy purse,” put is the predicate, with some word understood; as, “Put thou money in thy purse.”

VERBS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO MEANING AND USE.

TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS.

[Sidenote:  The nature of the transitive verb.]

202.  By examining a few verbs, it may be seen that not all verbs are used alike.  All do not express action:  some denote state or condition.  Of those expressing action, all do not express it in the same way; for example, in this sentence from Bulwer,—­“The proud lone took care to conceal the anguish she endured; and the pride of woman has an hypocrisy which can deceive the most penetrating, and shame the most astute,”—­every one of the verbs in Italics has one or more words before or after it, representing something which it influences or controls.  In the first, lone took what? answer, care; endured what? anguish; etc.  Each influences some object, which may be a person, or a material thing, or an idea. Has takes the object hypocrisy; can deceive has an object, the most penetrating; (can) shame also has an object, the most astute.

In each case, the word following, or the object, is necessary to the completion of the action expressed in the verb.

All these are called transitive verbs, from the Latin transire, which means to go over.  Hence

[Sidenote:  Definition.]

203.  A transitive verb is one which must have an object to complete its meaning, and to receive the action expressed.

[Sidenote:  The nature of intransitive verbs.]

204.  Examine the verbs in the following paragraph:—­

She sprang up at that thought, and, taking the staff which always guided her steps, she hastened to the neighboring shrine of Isis.  Till she had been under the guardianship of the kindly Greek, that staff had sufficed to conduct the poor blind girl from corner to corner of Pompeii.—­BULWER

In this there are some verbs unlike those that have been examined. Sprang, or sprang up, expresses action, but it is complete in itself, does not affect an object; hastened is similar in use; had been expresses condition, or state of being, and can have no object; had sufficed means had been sufficient, and from its meaning cannot have an object.