Transitive Active

Transitive active skeletons have three skeleton items: a subject (a noun or noun equivalent), a transitive verb (see the topic on Transitive/Intransitive verbs for more on this distinction) and a direct object (a noun in the accusative or a noun equivalent). The transitive nature of the verb requires that there be a direct object in order for the sentence to express a complete thought. Here are some examples in English and Latin (the skeleton in each has been underlined):

"Scintilla cenam parat", "Scintilla prepares dinner".

In this sentence, Scintilla" is the subject, "parat" is the transitive verb and "cenam" is the direct object.

"Cloelia feminas ad Tiberim ducit fumenque tranat", "Cloelia leads the women to the Tiber and crosses the river".

This sentence has two skeletons connected by the coordinating connector "-que". Both skeletons are transtive active. In the first clause, "Cloelia" is the subject, "ducit" is the verb and "feminas" is the direct object . "ad Tiberim" is a prepositional phrase adverbial modifier. In the second clause, an understood "Cloelia" implied from the first clause is the subject, "tranat" is the transitive verb, and "flumen" is the direct object.

Other Skeleton Types

Transitive Active
Intransitive Active
Linking
Passive
Impersonal Passive

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Main Index

General Principles
Sentence Structure
Morphology
Skeleton Types
Verbs
Case Usage
Adverbs
Infinitives
Gerunds
Gerundives
Dependent Clauses
Connection
The Book

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Related Topics

Sentence Structure Index

Transitive/Intransitive Verbs

Accusative as Direct Object

Lesson Chapter 2

Last Updated March 18, 2003

Questions, comments and corrections should be sent to Brian K. Harvey, Kent State University