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Kilimanjaro Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

Is "eat" an ergative verb

I always keep something that eats in my pocket while I am on long journeys.

a) Is "eats" correctly used here?

b) Is "eat" an ergative verb

c) Can "it eats" sometimes mean "It is eaten"

Thak you for your help.
  

Top answer

1. No, unless you have a mouse or something in your pocket and you feed it as you go. Then it would be eating.

— BarbaraPA

  • 1.
  • No, unless you have a mouse or something in your pocket and you feed it as you go.
  • Then it would be eating.
  • 2.
  • No.
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11 Answers
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1. No, unless you have a mouse or something in your pocket and you feed it as you go. Then it would be eating.

2. No.

c. No.

I always keep something that I can eat in my pocket when I am on a long journey.
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Hi Barbara

You wrote: I always keep something that I can eat in my pocket when I am on a long journey.

Do you think that the following sentence is better or worse? Or is there no difference?

I always keep something in my pocket that I can eat when I am on a long journey.

Many thanks.
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Yoong LiatHi Barbara
You wrote: I always keep something that I can eat in my pocket when I am on a long journey.
Do you think that the following sentence is better or worse? Or is there no difference?
I always keep something in my pocket that I can eat when I am on a long journey.
Many thanks.
Hi
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Yours is slightly better - although logic tells you otherwise, mine could read that you are in your pocket while you are eating. Hardly logical, but grammatical. Yours eliminates that possibility. Although, I suppose if you wanted to be really silly, you could mean that you eat the pocket.
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Kilimanjarob) Is "eat" an ergative verb

I think you could say that, in ordinary use, "eat" is an unergative verb.

All the best,

MrP
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Armsys
Yoong LiatHi Barbara
You wrote: I always keep something that I can eat in my pocket when I am on a long journey.
Do you think that the following sentence is better or worse? Or is there no difference?
I always keep something in my pocket that I can eat when I am on a long journey.
Many thanks.
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I don't find "I always keep in my pocket" very natural at all, no.

Again, logic tells you that you are neither eating while in your pocket, nor eating your pocket, so either of the other ones are fine.
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Dear Grammar Geek,

One more time - how about we make in my pocket nonrestrictive as follows:

I always keep, in my pocket, something to eat when I am on a long journey.

I guess that verbally it still sounds very unnatural! But, in writing, would that help correct the faulty logic?

Thanks,
Hoa Thai
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