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Jumanah Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Verbs

What's the difference between "a middle verb" and "an Ergative verb"?
  

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Jumanah What's the difference between "a middle verb" and "an Ergative verb"? A middle verb is a verb which can be used in a transitive way but the clause with that transitive verb cannot be changed into the passive. For example, We had a car cannot be changed to the passive * A car is had by us .

  • Jumanah What's the difference between "a middle verb" and "an Ergative verb"?
  • A middle verb is a verb which can be used in a transitive way but the clause with that transitive verb cannot be changed into the passive.
  • For example, We had a car cannot be changed to the passive * A car is had by us .
  • An ergative verb is a verb which can be used with the same noun as the subject when it is intransitive and as an object when the verb is transitive.
  • For example, The window opened vs He opened the window , or The prisoners marched vs They marched the prisoners .
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JumanahWhat's the difference between "a middle verb" and "an Ergative verb"?
A middle verb is a verb which can be used in a transitive way but the clause with that transitive verb cannot be changed into the passive. For example, We had a car cannot be changed to the passive *A car is had by us.

An ergative verb is a verb wh

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