could any one please explain the grammatical term : ERGATIVE verb
http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/ergative-verb.html
It looks as if this is a term for verbs in passive form.
John ate the hamburger. (standard active form)
The hamburger was eaten by John. (passive verb; ergative verb since the verb's action had an effect on the subject)
Keep in mind that not all passive verbs will be ergative verbs.
Here are passive structures that are not ergative:
~It has been said that the weather is in a la niña pattern.
~He has been called a gruff disciplinarian in the past.
Here are passive structures that are ergative:
~The baseball was hit out of the park.
~The television was smashed by the hammer.
thank you verymuch writeacher for clarifying my query on ergative verb which indicates that it could be used both transitively and intransitively eg : the door broke. thanks a lot
You're welcome.
Certainly! An ergative verb is a grammatical term that describes a specific type of verb that shows a unique behavior in terms of argument structure. To understand the concept of an ergative verb, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of transitive and intransitive verbs.
1. Transitive Verb: A transitive verb is a verb that requires both a subject and an object to form a meaningful sentence. For example, in the sentence "She ate an apple," the verb "ate" is transitive as it has a subject (she) and an object (an apple).
2. Intransitive Verb: An intransitive verb is a verb that does not require an object to form a meaningful sentence. For example, in the sentence "He sleeps," the verb "sleeps" is intransitive as it only has a subject (he) and does not require an object.
Now, let's move on to ergative verbs:
3. Ergative Verb: An ergative verb is a type of verb that behaves differently depending on whether it is in a transitive or intransitive construction. It can act as both a transitive and an intransitive verb, with a change in grammatical case for its subject.
In a transitive construction, the subject of an ergative verb takes the active role and is marked as the agent (performs the action) while the object is marked as the patient (the recipient of the action). For example, in the sentence "He broke the glass," the verb "broke" is an ergative verb. "He" is the subject that actively performs the action (agent) while "the glass" is the object that receives the action (patient).
However, in an intransitive construction with an ergative verb, the subject of the verb is marked as a patient. This case is known as the ergative case. As a result, the subject of the verb appears to be more passive than in a transitive construction. For example, in the sentence "The glass broke," the verb "broke" is also an ergative verb. "The glass" is the subject marked as the patient, and there is no need for an object.
So, to summarize, an ergative verb is a verb that behaves differently depending on whether it is in a transitive or intransitive construction, with a change in the case of the subject.