Verb patterns · CEFR B1 · Independent

Verbs that need an object — English verb patterns

Some verbs cannot stand without an object. Discuss, reach, enter and mention are the ones Indian English most often leaves bare or gives a spare preposition to.

The shape

transitive: verb + object · intransitive: verb alone

Stop leaving a verb hanging without its object.

In Hindi

कुछ क्रियाएँ बिना कर्म के खड़ी नहीं हो सकतीं — discuss, reach, enter, mention।

CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.

The mistake to fix first

The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.

Commonly saidCorrect English

We discussed about the project.

We discussed the project.

"Discuss" takes its object directly — no "about".

Questions people ask

What is the verbs that need an object used for?
Some verbs cannot stand without an object. Discuss, reach, enter and mention are the ones Indian English most often leaves bare or gives a spare preposition to. In practice: stop leaving a verb hanging without its object.
How do you form the verbs that need an object?
transitive: verb + object · intransitive: verb alone.
What is the most common mistake with the verbs that need an object?
Saying “We discussed about the project.” instead of “We discussed the project.”. "Discuss" takes its object directly — no "about".

Where verbs that need an object fits

Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.

Verbs that need an object is a CEFR B1 structure — the independent band — and it belongs to verb patterns. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.

Practise the verbs that need an object

CoCap · Free English practice for India · About · Contact