When an intransitive verb is used in a causative sense, it becomes transitive.
Study the examples given below.
The horse walks. (Intransitive)
The man walks the horse. (Transitive – here the man causes the horse to walk.)
Birds fly. (Intransitive)
The boys fly their kites. (Transitive)
The spellings of certain common verbs indicate whether they are transitive or intransitive.
Many trees fell in the storm. (Intransitive)
Woodcutters felled the trees. (Transitive)
Lie still. (Intransitive)
Lay the basket on the table. (Transitive)
Rise early with the lark. (Intransitive)
Raise your hands. (= Cause your hands to rise.)
Sit here.
Set the lamp on the table.
Some intransitive verbs become transitive when a preposition is added to them.
His friends laughed at him. (Laugh is an intransitive verb and does not take any object. Laugh at is a transitive verb and takes the object ‘him’.)
He soon ran through his fortune. (The verb run is intransitive whereas run through is transitive. To run through one’s fortune is to use it rapidly.)
Please look into the matter carefully.
I wish for nothing.
Sometimes the preposition is prefixed to the verb.
He overcame his enemy. (Come is an intransitive verb, but overcome is transitive.)
He bravely withstood the attack. (Stand is an intransitive verb, but withstand is transitive.)
