Ergative Verbs 

This lesson delves into the complexities of ergative verbs, exploring their roles in different grammatical structures and contexts. It offers comprehensive explanations, advanced exercises, and a quiz.

Ergative Verbs in the English Grammar

What Are Ergative Verbs?

Ergative verbs (also known as labile verbs or ambivalent verbs) are verbs that can be both transitive and intransitive, with the condition that the object of the transitive form must be the same as the subject of the intransitive form.

What Are Ergative Verbs Used for?

In an ergative verb use, the subject of the intransitive verb would be the object of the transitive form of the verb. This means that the intransitive form expresses a passive meaning while the transitive form identifies an active agent causing the object to undergo the action of the verb. This creates the opportunity to form sentences that focus on different elements and aspects of the action. Take a look at these examples:

Example

I rang the bell.

This sentence identifies someone as the does of the action and expresses an active meaning.

The bell rang.

This sentence focuses on the ringing of the bell rather than a person performing the action

I am cooking lasagna.

The lasagna is cooking.

The heat melted the snow.

The snow melted.

ThumbnailPhoto

Tip!

Remember that the object of a transitive verb, which becomes the subject of an intransitive verb, usually refers to an inanimate object or a thing, not a person.

Common Ergative Verbs

Common ergative verbs in English are:

Verbs of transformation or change

Verbs of cooking

Verbs of transportation

Verbs of movement

break

bake

drive

walk

transform

boil

fly

shake

burst

cook

reverse

turn

form

fry

run

move

heal

sail

sweep

melt

tear

Take a look at some examples:

Example

The pilot flew the plane.

The plane flew in the sky.

We grew some tasty corns.

The corns were growing well.

Warning!

A lot of English verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively, but not all of them are ergative. The condition that the object of the transitive form be the same as the subject of the intransitive form is the distinguishing mark of ergative verbs. In the examples below, "read" is not an ergative verb, since the subject is the same in both sentences and the difference lies in specification of the object in the second sentence. Such verbs are called ambitransitive.

Example

He was reading.

"read" as an intransitive verb

He was reading the newspaper.

"read" as a transitive verb. You can't say "The newspaper is reading." because "read" is not an ergative verb.

Ergative Verbs Vs. Passive Voice

While the intransitive form of ergative verbs and passive sentences both allow the object of a transitive verb to become the subject, they have fundamental differences.
The passive requires a grammatical change (auxiliary + past participle) and the agent can be added at the end of the sentence, while the intransitive ergative does not allow identification of the agent and keeps the same verb form. Compare the examples:

Example

The window was broken (by the storm).

The window broke.

(No agent implied, no auxiliary verb.)

Review

Ergative verbs can be both transitive and intransitive verbs. The object of the transitive form is the same as the subject of the intransitive form. Common ergative verbs in English are:

break

bake

fly

move

sail

Quiz:


1.

Which of the following sentences demonstrates the use of an ergative verb in its intransitive form?

A

The heat melted the snow.

B

The storm broke the window.

C

I baked a cake.

D

The bell rang loudly.

2.

Select all ergative verbs from the list. (Select five.)

run

transform

burst

cook

drive

cut

sail

sing

eat

walk

3.

Choose whether the verb in each sentence is ergative, ambitransitive, or passive.

She is reading a novel.

He boiled the water.

The soup cooked.

The vase was shattered.

She was singing.

Ambitransitive
Ergative
Passive
4.

What distinguishes ergative intransitive from passive voice?

A

Ergative uses past participle; passive keeps the base verb.

B

Ergative requires an agent; passive does not.

C

Ergative does not allow specification of agent; passive allows it as optional.

D

The two are the same just with different focus.

5.

Choose True or False for each statement.

Ergative verbs can only be used intransitively.

Intransitive ergative verbs are only used with animate subjects, such as people.

"Read" is an ergative verb because it can be used both transitively and intransitively.

Ergative verbs are always used with a change in verb form when switching from transitive to intransitive.

False
True

Comments

(1)
Loading Recaptcha...
Share on :
books
Learn English VocabularyStart learning categorized English vocabulary on Langeek.
Click to start

Recommended

Mono-transitive Verbs

bookmark
Mono-transitive verbs are a group of verbs that take a single verb complement, and show that the subject is performing the action of the verb on the complement.

Ditransitive Verbs

bookmark
Ditransitive verbs are transitive verbs that take two objects. A direct object and an indirect object. Follow the article to read more about them.

Complex Transitive Verbs

bookmark
There are five basic types of verbs: intransitive, linking, mono-transitive, di-transitive and complex-transitive verbs. In this lesson, we'll discuss the last.

Catenative Verbs

bookmark
Catenative verbs, also known as chain verbs, are followed by other verbs to form a chain of two or more verbs. In this lesson, we will discuss them in detail.

Causatives

bookmark
'Causatives' indicate that someone did not do the action on their own, but they somehow intervened in the cause of the events.

Reflexive Verbs

bookmark
Reflexive verbs are verbs that are used transitively to reflect back to the subject. Let us learn more. Follow the article.
LanGeek
Download LanGeek app