* The soldier wrote a letter to his family. (The direct object is "letter")
* The soldier wrote a detailed report about the battle. (The direct object is "report")
* The soldier wrote a poem in his journal. (The direct object is "poem")
What makes a verb transitive?
A transitive verb requires a direct object. The direct object is the thing or person that receives the action of the verb. In the examples above, the soldier is performing the action of "writing" and the direct object is the thing being written (letter, report, poem).