Ergative verbs

Level: intermediate

Ergative verbs are both transitive and intransitive. The object when it is transitive is the same as the subject when it is intransitive:

Common ergative verbs are:

I broke the glass.
I dropped the glass and it broke.

The referee started the match.
The match started at 2.30.

We grew some tasty potatoes.
The potatoes were growing well.

The wind shook the trees.
The trees shook in the wind.

Verbs to do with cooking are often ergative:

You should roast the meat at 200 degrees.
The meat was roasting in a hot oven.

I always defrost meat before I cook it.
I am waiting for the meat to defrost.

Melt the chocolate and pour it over the ice cream.
The chocolate was melting in a pan.

Verbs to do with vehicles are often ergative:

I'm learning to fly a plane.
The plane flew at twice the speed of sound.

He crashed his car into a tree.
His car crashed into a tree.
 

Some verbs are ergative with only a few nouns:

She caught her dress on a nail.
Her dress caught on a nail.

He fired a pistol to start the race.
A pistol fired to start the race.

Shall we play some music?
Some music played in the background.

There's a fire! Ring the alarm!
The fire alarm rang at 11.42 a.m.