answersLogoWhite

0

When "creep" is used as a verb, it is intransitive; it takes no direct object. For example, "He creeps behind the bushes"--he doesn't "creep something" or "creep someone."

When "stalk" is used as a verb, it is transitive. In "He stalks Jane," the direct object is "Jane."

"Stalk" can also be used intransitively. "The ghost stalks around the battlements every night at midnight."

There is a slight difference in meaning as well. To creep is to move slowly. "The caterpillar creeps along the sidewalk" It is consistent also with moving stealthily. The transitive form of "stalk" means to attempt to get close to something or someone stealthily, like a hunter. It is used in the context of hunting whenever it is used about non-human prey. The intransitive form of "stalk" suggests direct purposive motion, quite different from creeping.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?