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Verbs
Includes questions related to the comprehension, usage and identification of the parts of speech that express an action or existence.
19,822 Questions
How you can search for an ergative verb or what are the ergative verbs?
Probably the most commonly described division of verbs is into the classes of transitive and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs take an object ('buy' is transitive: we say "I bought some bananas", but not *"I bought".); intransitive verbs do not take an object ("They died", but not *"They died him".)
In fact, most verbs in English can be both. We can say "I woke up" and "I woke her up", "They ran" and "They ran the marathon". Verbs that can be both transitive and intransitive are called ambitransitive. Given that so many English verbs are ambitransitive (you might have noticed that 'disappear' is now also used transitively: "The Sandinistas disappeared him."), it might make more sense to say that transitivity is not a feature of verbs themselves. Rather, a verb is used transitively or intransitively.
Now, ambitransitive verbs are quite simple. We form the transitive verb from the intransitive verb just by adding an object. No real mystery there. Ergative verbs have an extra property, however. Take the sentence: (1) The meeting opened at 12:00.
Logically, the meeting actually did nothing: to be precise we could say (2) Someone opened the meeting. If we want to focus on the meeting we could use the passive: (3)The meeting was opened at 12:00.
But open is ergative, allowing us to recast the object of the verb used transitively (the meeting in sentence (2)) as the subject of the verb used intransitively (Which is (1)).
This is a structural rule: the object of an ergative verb used transitively is the subject of the ergative verb used intransitively. This is quite a different situation to other ambitransitive verbs.
Sentence (1) is thus active in structure but passive in meaning. The effect is to attribute the action to the object rather than the real agent. In most sentences, the grammatical subject is the agent of the verb. Ergatives allow a certain metaphorical effect, focussing on the process that the object indergoes as if the object were actually performing that process. Consider: The ice caps are melting (is this something they are doing themselves, or are they being caused to melt?), Prices are increasing (but actually people are increasing the prices.)
Very many verbs of process are ergative. If the cause of the action is irrelevant or unknown, or if the writer wishes to avoid apportioning blame to the agent (Petrol prices are increasing sounds very different to Petrol companies are increasing their prices), ergatives are useful.
What is the Prepositional phrase in the sentence for lunch you had soup with crackers?
The prepositional phrase in the sentence is "for lunch."
Smothering is a form of suffocation where a person's airways are blocked, typically by another person or object, leading to difficulty in breathing and potentially causing death if not relieved. It can be intentional or accidental.
When do you use 'have' versus 'had'?
You use "have" for present tense and "had" for past tense. Had is also the form used in contrary to fact conditions, for example If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.
What is the relationship between intensive extensive stative and dynamic verbs?
An intensive verb is the one that is used to describe a state/ being. For instance, He is an artist OR The kids are ecstatic/sorry. In the example 1, the verb "is" is used describe that the person 'is' (being) an artist. And example 2, the verb describes the kids' state i.e. ecstatic or sorry.
An extensive verb is the one that describes action of the person. Eg. Jaan dances well, extensive verb dances. Other more complex forms of verbs are extensive verbs too.
A typical example of a stative verb can be the verb "understand". This means you cannot say, "I am understanding". Love, hate, believe, etc. are some more examples of stative verbs. A dynamic verb is one that doesnot have this restriction. To know whether a verb is stative or dynamic, consult a good dictionary. Different dictionaries use different ways to indicate this. You might see labels such as stative or dynamic. Or some dictionaries do not label dynamic verbs. That is, if there is no mention, it goes without saying that it is a dynamic verb. However, you will find some mention like, "not used in the progressive tenses" beside stative verbs.
Would is a common modal verb it is used to make offers and invitations
offer: Would you like a chocolate?
invitation: Would you like to have lunch with us?
It is also used to make past predictions or a prediction about a possible situation:
past: Sarah worked all night. She would be tired the next day.
possible: Shall we go to Keri Keri for Easter? That would be nice.
We can use would to make polite requests:
I would like a black coffee please.
Would also shows intention:
I would help you but I'm already late for work.
Your use of the word Diction suggets this answer: diction n 1: the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience [syn: enunciation] 2: the manner in which something is expressed in words; "use concise military verbiage"- G.S.Patton [syn: wording, phrasing, phraseology, choice of words, verbiage] Source: WordNet
No, rich is not a verb. But enrich is a verb, and 'to enrich' is its infinitive.
Is was the verb in the sentence The book was really interesting?
"Was" is the verb in the sentence "The book was really interesting." It is the past tense form of the linking verb "to be," showing that the book possessed the quality of being interesting at a specific point in the past.
Time as we know it is finite, because for us it is measured and always moves in a linear fashion ever progressing forward. To be infinite is to have no limits, no boundaries, no measure, and no foreseeable end.
If speaking in terms of eternity, that is not time, but timelessness.
Who can measure eternity?
What verbs are used to describe the actions of the short story terrible things?
In the short story "Terrible Things," verbs such as observe, warn, protect, and persuade are used to describe the actions of the animals as they face the dangers presented by the Terrible Things.
No, "read" is not considered a strong verb. Strong verbs typically undergo a vowel change to indicate tense, while "read" takes the regular -ed ending for past tense.
What is the verb in the sentence there are only two authenticated copies of this manuscript?
The verb in the sentence is "are." It is a form of the verb "to be" indicating the existence or presence of something.
What is the riseing action of trifles?
Jonas turns 12 and gets assigned a job and once he started training he found out life isn't what he thinks it is. His friend Fiona loves the elders and could never think of hurting them. But Fiona has no feelings, and is getting trained to release (kill) the elders.
A vivid comparison is a way of describing something by using clear, detailed language that helps the reader or listener form a strong mental image or understanding. It often involves using similes or metaphors to draw parallels between two seemingly unrelated things in a striking and memorable way.
No, the word 'fantasy' is a noun. The verb form of 'fantasy' is 'fantasize' (UK: fantasise).
What are four verbs in the second paragraph in The Tell-Tale Heart?
entered; haunted; loved; fell; ran; take; rid
What is the verb of this sentence your book fell off the desk?
fell off
Fell off is a phrasal verb. In this sentence the verb is past tense.
When and why a writer should use the past perfect tense?
Past perfect is used to show one thing in the past happened before another thing in the past. This other thing in the past is usually expressed by past simple. eg
The train had left when I arrived at the station.
Had left is past perfect and this event happened before arrived which is past simple.
So you would use past perfect when telling a story about things in the past. eg
I felt really tired when I took the train to work yesterday because Sophie and I had been to a party the night before. We hadn't gone to bed until 3:00am. I had been on the train 5 minutes when I realised that I had left my wallet at home. I phoned Sophie but she had already left for work.
What is the verb in this sentence. In literature many emotions of men are portrayed?
The verb in the sentence is "portrayed." It indicates the action of depicting or representing the emotions of men in literature.
What is the present tense form of mystified?
I/You/We/They mystify. He/She/it mystifies. The present participle is mystifying.
