Monday, January 15, 2024

More and more verbs being used ergatively

 Just ran into an example illustrating the trend for people to use certain verbs ergatively. A few years ago, one would say 'Work you create IS SAVED to ....'; today, it is 'Work you created SAVES to ...'  (You can find many other examples in ICT jargon.)

Another example: More than 10 years ago, Amazon would tell you that 'your order has been shipped.' Today, it's always 'Your order has shipped.'

This is one thing for ESL teachers to watch out for when teaching the Passive Voice. 



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