Unergative

Quick meaning: Unergative is an adjective meaning (linguistics, of a verb) Intransitive and having an agent as its subject.

Meaning

(linguistics, of a verb) Intransitive and having an agent as its subject.

More Meanings

1. (linguistics) An unergative verb.

Example Sentences

1998, Eloise Jelinek, Voice and Transitivity as Functional Projections in Yaqui, in Miriam Butt and Wilhelm Geuder, eds., “The Projection of Arguments” We have seen that Unergatives and Unaccusatives differ in 1) permitting the derivation of an Impersonal Passive, and 2) in licensing purpose clauses, since Unergatives have active subjects, and Unaccusatives do not.

In Section 1 I will discuss the existence of a class of ergative adjectives in Dutch[…]. It will be demonstrated that there are a number of arguments supporting the claim that the class of adjectives should be divided into ergative and unergative adjectives. A large number of adjectives that are unergative according to the tests provided in Section 2 appear to be ergative with respect to their argument structure.

Word Forms

• unergatives

Antonyms for unergative

Common opposites include unaccusative, transitive.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include unaccusative, intransitive, impersonal, subjective, intr, uninflectable.

Related Dictionary Tools