Ergative verb
In the English language, an ergative verb is a verb whose action affects the subject, rather than the object, of the verb. Another way to describe this is that a normal verb's patient is its object, whereas an ergative verb's patient is its subject. Often, but not always, ergative verbs take no direct object. Some verbs can act as either a regular transitive verb or an ergative verb. Examples of ergative-only verbs: - I think.
- I see.
- I understand.
- I experience.
Examples of verbs that can be ergative or transitive:open* The door opens. * John opens the door. melt* The ice melts. * I melt some ice.
See also intransitive verb transitive verb ditransitive verb compare to ergative case, nominative case, reflexive verb
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