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Tomas
the sentence reads better
Hi!
This is the first time I'm seeing this: 'the sentence reads better' - literally it sounds like the sentence is the one who reads. Is that right? I'm just used to reading something like ...he / she reads...
Could you recall more examples like this? I made up these myself and I'd like you to tell me whether they are correct: 1) This cup washes easier that the last one 2) The paper sheet cuts with scissors.
Oct 4, 2014 4:34 PM
Answers · 9
1
Let's look at some examples.
The car drives beautifully.
The window broke.
The plane flew north.
The boat sailed south.
When a verb behaves like that, it is called an ergative verb.
Wikipedia has listed some of these by category:
"Verbs suggesting a change of state —break, burst, form, heal, melt, tear, transform
Verbs of cooking — bake, boil, cook, fry
Verbs of movement — move, shake, sweep, turn, walk
Verbs involving vehicles — drive, fly, reverse, run, sail"
For more information, please just search the internet for "ergative verbs".
October 4, 2014
1
I don't think that would be correct. If you're meaning it in a way like "The sentence reads better if written like..." then that would make sense however you would want to say "It reads better if written like this". Just make sure that the people you are speaking to know what "It" is.
That is my best guess,hope I helped some.
October 4, 2014
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Tomas
Language Skills
Czech, English, German
Learning Language
English, German
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