An action verb shows action. Sometimes the action verb transfers the action to another object.
A verb that transfers action is called a Transitive Verb.
The object that receives the action is called the Direct Object.
A transitive verb always transfers action to a direct object.
Look at this sentence:
Dan rode his bike.
Rode is an action verb. What did Dan do? Dan rode. What did Dan ride? Dan rode his bike.
Bike is the direct object because it directly receives the action. The action of the verb ride transfers to the bike.
Look at another example.
Mom baked a cake.
The action verb is baked. What did Mom do? She baked.
Ask yourself, What object directly receives the baking action? Mom baked what? Mom baked a cake.
Cake is the direct object. The baking action transfers to the cake.
Look at these examples. Each sentence has a transitive verb. The verb transfers action to the direct object, which is bolded.
Matt drove his car. Matt drove what? Matt drove his car.
The dog buried his bone. The dog buried what? The dog buried his bone.
Jenny sang a song. Jenny sang what? Jenny sang a song.
The teacher read a story. The teacher read what? The teacher read a story.
Not all action verbs are transitive. An action verb is only transitive if it transfers action. Look at this sentence.
The dog ran.
The verb ran is an action verb, but it is not transitive. There is no noun after the action verb, so the verb does not transfer action.
An action verb sometimes transfers action to a noun. The noun that directly receives the action is called a direct object. If you want to find the direct object in a sentence, say the verb and then ask yourself what? Rode what? Baked what? Read what? If there is a noun after the action verb to receive the action, then that noun is the direct object. An action verb that transfers action to a direct object is called a transitive verb.