WE all know that a transitive verb needs an object or receiver of its action. Thus, when a sentence uses a transitive verb, it's absolutely necessary for its subject to have a direct object to act on: 'The woman spurned her suitor last week.' 'Her suitor found a better woman yesterday.' Without that direct object to take the action, nothing really happens and the sentence makes no sense: 'The woman spurned...last week.' 'Her suitor found...yesterday.'

But we must keep in mind that a direct object need not always be someone or something other than the subject itself. There are many situations in which the subject can perform actions to or for itself as the direct object. Even in the absence of an external object or receiver, the transitive verb therefore can still function normally.