Uncausative

Describing a verb or verbal construction that does not express an action performed by an agent, but rather indicates a state, condition, or event that occurs without an external cause or the involvement of a subject intentionally causing it. It highlights the passive or intransitive nature of the action, focusing on the resulting state or the happening itself, rather than the agent responsible. This contrasts with causatives, which explicitly denote an agent initiating an action on a patient. uncausative verbs often describe spontaneous changes, occurrences, or states of being. Their grammatical structures reflect a lack of direct agency.

Uncausative meaning with examples

• The ice *melted* quickly in the sun. The verb 'melted' is uncausative; the ice is the subject, but it doesn't actively perform the action. The sun's heat causes the change, not the ice itself. This contrasts with 'He melted the ice', a causative construction implying agency.
• The door *opened* with a creak. 'Opened' is uncausative, describing a change in state, not an action performed by a specific agent opening the door. The opening happens independently of external force, though this could be argued. If John *opened* the door, then that is not uncausative.
• The ship *sank* during the storm. The verb 'sank' is uncausative, expressing a spontaneous event. While the storm created the conditions for the sinking, the ship is not considered to have actively performed the action of sinking itself. The ship is the subject of the action.
• The leaves *fell* from the tree in autumn. This sentence uses an uncausative verb. There is no agent causing the leaves to fall. The falling is a natural process driven by the season and not an agent, or subject, which can be an argument, actively enacting a change.
• Her cheeks *blushed* when she was complimented. 'Blushed' is an uncausative verb. It describes a change in state without an agent initiating the change on the cheeks. The compliment might be the root cause but it acts passively, not directly.