ergative verbs and past tence ???

Question

The painter painted the wallThe wall painted -- is it ergative ???I baked the breadthe bread baked -- is it ergative ??  which one ? and.... '' the bread baked ''  ---- simple past tense ???please help   also ergative can be passive ???

Avangi · Accepted Answer

emilylionThe painter painted the wall. The wall painted. -- is it ergative ???

No. This doesn't work.

emilylionI baked the bread. The bread baked. -- is it ergative ??

Yes.

emilylion'' The bread baked. '' ---- simple past tense ???

Yes.

emilylionergative can be passive ???

Yes. The bread was baked at 450 degrees F. for half an hour.
We speak of "ergative verbs." These are specific verbs. A particular verb is either ergative or it's not. The way it's used in a particular sentence is irrelevant.
They're always capable of being used transitively and intransitively.
I can't think offhand of an ergative verb which cannot be used in the passive voice.

The thing about ergative verbs is that they can have an interesting relationship with their objects: He broke the window. / The window broke. / The window was broken.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergative_verb

Here's a list of two or three hundred ergative verbs. Some of them have alternative senses which are not ergative.

http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Category:English_ergative_verbs&pageuntil=roll#mw-pages

ergative verbs and past tence ???

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