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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Contrains on Middle Constructions
Hello.
I'm learning English Middle Constructions, and I have one question about it: When can we use middle constructions?
What I know about Middle Constructions are:
1, the verb is basically transitive
2, the subject corresponds to the object of the verb in meaning
3, whether implicit or explicit, adverb is required
4, Middle Construction receives a generic, habitual interpretation
My question here is "transitive verb can always be used in Middle Constructions?"
I know that the examples below are O.K. :
1, This book reads easily.
2, Shakespeare does read!
3, John terrifies easily.
I am not certain whether the examples below are O.K. or not :
1, This wine drinks well. ( This wine tastes well. )
2, This bread eats with butter. ( We eat this bread with butter. )
3, Short essays write easily. ( We can write short essays easily. )
Are there clear rules about which verb is O.K. for middle constructions and which is not?
Or is it a matter of senses of native speaker, and cannot be written down easily?
Thanks!
I'm learning English Middle Constructions, and I have one question about it: When can we use middle constructions?
What I know about Middle Constructions are:
1, the verb is basically transitive
2, the subject corresponds to the object of the verb in meaning
3, whether implicit or explicit, adverb is required
4, Middle Construction receives a generic, habitual interpretation
My question here is "transitive verb can always be used in Middle Constructions?"
I know that the examples below are O.K. :
1, This book reads easily.
2, Shakespeare does read!
3, John terrifies easily.
I am not certain whether the examples below are O.K. or not :
1, This wine drinks well. ( This wine tastes well. )
2, This bread eats with butter. ( We eat this bread with butter. )
3, Short essays write easily. ( We can write short essays easily. )
Are there clear rules about which verb is O.K. for middle constructions and which is not?
Or is it a matter of senses of native speaker, and cannot be written down easily?
Thanks!
Top answer
K. or not : No. This type of construction cannot be used with any verb.
- K.
- or not : No.
- This type of construction cannot be used with any verb.
- There are almost set phrases, and they are rather rare.
- The equivalent to your first might be this, but it is not exactly a middle construction.
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3 Answers
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AnonymousI am not certain whether the examples below are O.K. or not :No. This type of construction cannot be used with any verb. There are almost set phrases, and they are rather rare.
The equivalent to your first might be this, but it is not exactly a middle construction.
This wine goes down smoothly. (It is not bitter or acidic.)
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I did find 'the wine drinks easily' here, but I had to hunt for it. It sounds a little pretentious to me.
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AnonymousI know that the examples below are O.K. :1, This book reads easily.2, Shakespeare does read!3, John terrifies easily.The second one doesn't sound feasible to me (except in a literal sense that I presume you do not intend).
Anonymous1, This wine drinks well. ( This wine tastes well. )2, This bread eats with butter. ( We eat thi
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