Grammar help please?

Question

Hi,Could you please confirm If I am correct in these ideas semantically?I broke it. (Semantically correct)It broke. (Grammatically correct but semantically incorrect)It was broken. (Semantically correct, someone broke it)I parked a car in my drive way. (Semantically correct)A car parked in my drive way. (Grammatically possible but semantically impossible)A car was parked in my drive way. (Semantically correct, someone parked it)I have sprained my ankle. (Semantically correct)My ankle sprained. (Grammatically correct but semantically incorrect)My ankle has been sprained. (Semantically correct, I have done it)John Aki

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi John,

To me ,they are all correct grammar.

Here are some comments on semantics .

A car was parked i my ' in my drive way. correct grammar and correct emantics.soect seamntics.

Correct grammar. Semantics OK. someone parked it)

I have sprained my ankle. (Semantically correct)

My ankle sprained. (semantically correct, but not idiomatic or naturat to say.'Consider that we do say eg My leg broke.

My ankle has been sprained. (Yes, correct grammar, but this sounds extremely unnatural.)

CalifJim · Answer

John Aki
I broke it. (Semantically correct)
It broke. (Grammatically correct but semantically incorrect)
It was broken. (Semantically correct, someone broke it)

'broke' is an ergative verb. This means it has not just two forms (active and passive), but three.

Active: I broke it.
Passive: It was broken (by me). (Transitive active form passivized.)
Intransitive: It broke. (Something happened that made it break. Nothing is said about who broke it.)

[There is also the adjectival interpretation of the passive form:
It is broken. / It was broken. (It is/was in pieces when I saw it.)]

All are possible.

Other ergative verbs are tear, melt, shake, fly, and quite a few others.

The student pilot flew the plane to Chicago.
The plane was flown to Chicago by a very smart pilot.
The plane flew from New York to Chicago.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

John Aki
I parked a car in my driveway. (Semantically correct) Right.
A car parked in my driveway. (Grammatically possible but semantically impossible) Right.
A car was parked in my driveway. (Semantically correct, someone parked it) Right.

This does not work as an ergative verb, so there are only the active and passive forms (plus the adjectival interpretation of the passive).

I parked a car in my driveway.
A car was parked (by someone) in my driveway. (Someone drove the car there.)
A car was parked in my driveway. (It was in my driveway; I saw it there.)

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

John Aki
I have sprained my ankle. (Semantically correct)
My ankle sprained. (Grammatically correct but semantically incorrect)
My ankle has been sprained. (Semantically correct, I have done it) 'It happened to me' is a better description than 'I have done it'.

Correct. This is like your example with 'parked'.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

John AkiA car parked in my drive way. (Grammatically possible but semantically impossible)

Why is it semantically impossible?

I see it as a legitimate noun phrase.

Grammar help please?

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