Practice
Ergative verbs: meaning and examples
Compare these two sentences: The wind opened the window. The window opened. Open works in both sentences, but the grammar changes. In the first sentence, the window is the object. In the second, the window is the subject.
Recognize common ergative verb patterns and choose whether the sentence needs an object or can name the changing thing as its subject.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
ergative verb /ˈɜːrɡətɪv vɜːrb/
The short answer
Use an ergative verb with an object when you name the cause or agent. Use it without an object when you want to focus on the thing that changed. The door opened means the door changed state. Someone opened the door names an agent.
The warm room melted the butter.
Why it works: The warm room is presented as the cause, and butter is the object that changes.
5 more examples
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The chef cooled the soup before serving it.
The chef causes the soup to become less hot, so soup is the object of cooled.
Not this:The
soup cooledwhile we waited. What changes: The soup is now the subject. The sentence focuses on the change in temperature, not on who caused it. -
A strong gust opened the gate.
The gust is the cause, and the gate is the object that changes from closed to open.
Not this:The
gate openedduring the storm. What changes: The gate is the subject. The sentence does not need to identify the cause. -
The cold air froze the pipes overnight.
Cold air causes the pipes to freeze, so pipes is the object.
Not this:The
pipes frozeovernight. What changes: The pipes are the subject because the sentence reports their change of state. -
The child broke the glass by accident.
The child is named as the agent, and glass is the object affected by the action.
Not this:The
glass brokewhen it fell. What changes: The glass is the subject. The sentence says what happened to it without making a person the agent. -
The manager increased the weekly budget.
The manager causes the amount to become larger, so budget is the object.
Not this:The weekly
budget increasedin April. What changes: The budget is the subject. The sentence reports a change in amount and does not state who made it happen.
Read the full guide
First, find the thing that changes. With many ergative verbs, that thing can be the object after a cause, or it can be the subject of a sentence with no stated cause. The meaning usually stays close, but the sentence puts attention in a different place.
Find the thing that changes
Start with the noun that becomes open, broken, dry, cold, or different. That noun is the object when another person or thing causes the change. It can be the subject when the sentence only reports the result.
The sun dried the towels.
The towels dried in the sun. In both sentences, the towels become dry.
Which thing changes in the sentence The sun dried the towels?
The towels change. They are the object after dried because the sun is named as the cause.
Name the cause when it matters
Use a transitive sentence when the reader needs to know what caused the change. The cause can be a person, a natural force, a machine, or another thing. Put the changing thing after the verb as the object.
The technician lowered the screen before the presentation.
The technician is the subject and screen is the object. The sentence tells us who caused the lower position.
Complete the sentence: The technician ___ the screen.
Use lowered if the technician caused the screen to move down.
Focus on the result
Use the intransitive pattern when the change is the useful information. You may not know the cause, or you may not need to mention it. Put the changing thing before the verb as the subject.
The screen lowered slowly.
The screen is the subject here. The sentence reports its movement without naming a person or machine.
Does The screen lowered slowly name the cause?
No. It only reports the change in the screen's position.
Choose an ergative sentence or a passive sentence
Both patterns can omit an agent, but they say different things. An ergative sentence describes a change. A passive sentence describes an action done to something. Use context to decide which meaning you need.
The window broke during the game.
The window was broken during the game. The passive form suggests that an action or event broke the window.
Which sentence focuses only on the change: The window broke or The window was broken?
The window broke focuses on the change. The passive form describes something happening to the window.
Learn the pattern with each verb
Do not assume that every verb can work this way. Keep a short record when you meet a useful one. Write one sentence with a cause and one sentence that reports the change. This helps you remember the grammar as well as the meaning.
The rain cleared the air. The air cleared after the rain.
Clear can describe a cause and a result in these sentences. Save both patterns together.
What two details should you save for a new ergative verb?
Save one example with a cause and object, and one example where the changing thing is the subject.
Before you go
Remember this
With an ergative verb, the changing thing can be an object after a cause or the subject of a sentence without a stated cause. Compare The heat melted the ice with The ice melted. Check whether you need to name an agent, or whether you only need to report the change.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Ergative verbs: meaning and examples"
What is an ergative verb?
An ergative verb can appear in a sentence where someone or something causes a change and in another sentence where the changing thing is the subject. For example, a person can open a door, or a door can open. The verb stays active in both patterns.
The chef cooled the soup before serving it.
How do I identify an ergative verb in a sentence?
Look for a verb that can take an object in one sentence and work without an object in another sentence with the same changing thing. Compare The heat melted the butter with The butter melted. The butter moves from object to subject.
The soup cooled while we waited.
Are ergative verbs the same as passive verbs?
No. An ergative sentence such as The glass broke reports a change. A passive sentence such as The glass was broken presents the glass as receiving an action. The passive form can matter when the action done to the object is part of the meaning.
A strong gust opened the gate.
Do all English verbs have an ergative pattern?
No. Many common change-of-state verbs can use this pattern, but you cannot freely use every verb with or without an object. Learn a new verb from reliable examples and save both sentence patterns when the verb has them.
The gate opened during the storm.
Should I use itself with an ergative verb?
Usually, no. English normally says The door opened or The ice melted without a reflexive pronoun. Use itself only when the meaning truly involves an object acting through its own mechanism or when the pronoun adds a needed contrast.
The cold air froze the pipes overnight.