Using transitive and intransitive verbs

Using ergative verbs

page 3 of 10

Reasons for using ergative verbs

We noted on page two of this file that when an ergative verb is used intransitively it can take as its subject the same person or thing that would be its object when used transitively , thus:

Roger rolled the boulder down the hill. subject                   object	transitive
The boulder rolled down the hill.      subject	intransitive

So why should speakers or writers want to use ergative verbs?

Ergative verbs allow the speaker or writer to represent an action or event either from the point of view of the person or thing which performs the action, ie Roger, or from the point of view of the thing which is affected by the action, ie the boulder.

Speakers and writers use ergative verbs because they allow three different ways of representing an event:

using an active voice transitive clause

Roger rolled the boulder down the hill.

using a passive voice transitive clause (with a further option of not mentioning the agent )

The boulder was rolled down the hill (by Roger).

using an intransitive clause

The boulder rolled down the hill.

Option 1 (active voice, transitive) is used when the speaker or writer wants to say something about the "doer" of the action, ie, our attention is drawn to what Roger did.

Option 2 (passive voice, transitive) allows the speaker or writer to say something about the thing affected by the action, ie we now know what happened to the boulder. This option still implies the presence of a "doer"; however, the speaker or writer can choose not to mention the doer explicitly.

Option 3 (active voice, intransitive) still allows the speaker or writer to say something about the thing affected by the action, ie again our attention is directed to what happened to the boulder. However, this is a special case, because it is not clear who or what is responsible for the action - there is no doer, and so it seems as if the action happened by itself.

Speakers and writers often choose this option when they want to emphasise the accidental nature of the action:

A father and his son were in stable condition last night in Maryborough after their home-built light plane crashed during take-off. (Bank of English)

Firemen had to rescue two window cleaners yesterday after a bar supporting the wires on their cradle broke, leaving the platform dangling eight floors above the ground. (SCMP 12/9/92)

Blucher jumped out of the convertible sports car and raced into his house to field a telephone call. "I came out to see the car had rolled down the driveway and run into the house over the road," he moaned. (Bank of English)

Ergative verbs can be exploited by speakers and writers to avoid mentioning who or what is responsible for performing the action by presenting what happened as if it were an accident:

The bed and the closet door just broke accidentally. (Bank of English)

This is similar to how passive voice is sometimes used to conceal the doer. For further information about reasons for using passive voice, see Using passive voice: Omitting or including the agent.

For information about some of the problems that students have with passive voice and ergative verbs, see Using passive voice: Students' problems (p 4).

Introduction
A definition of ergative verbs
Reasons for using ergative verbs
Areas of meaning with ergative verbs
Ergative verbs related to starting and stopping
Ergative verbs related to increasing and decreasing
Ergative verbs related to physical damage
Ergative verbs related to food preparation
Ergative verbs related to household cleaning
Ergative verbs related to movement in general