Using transitive and intransitive verbs

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Ergative verbs related to starting and stopping

Some ergative verbs can be classified under the area of starting and stopping:

The action begins at 10:00 pm. (SCMP 3/6/94)

All pubs shut at six in the evening. (Bank of English)

The following verbs are related to starting and stopping:

    begin     close     end    finish
    shut     start     stop

04conten.gif (549 bytes) Introduction
04conten.gif (549 bytes) A definition of ergative verbs
04conten.gif (549 bytes) Reasons for using ergative verbs
04conten.gif (549 bytes) Areas of meaning with ergative verbs
square.gif (58 bytes) Ergative verbs related to starting and stopping
04conten.gif (549 bytes) Ergative verbs related to increasing and decreasing
04conten.gif (549 bytes) Ergative verbs related to physical damage
04conten.gif (549 bytes) Ergative verbs related to food preparation
04conten.gif (549 bytes) Ergative verbs related to household cleaning
04conten.gif (549 bytes) Ergative verbs related to movement in general