http://arts-ccr-002.bham.ac.uk/ccr/patgram/ch07.

html

Ergative verbs and the passive

In patterns where there is a noun group (the Object) following the verb, the `causer' is indicated
by the Subject and the `doer' is indicated by the Object. If that structure is made passive,
however, the `doer' becomes the Subject and the `causer' may not be mentioned. Compare the
following examples:

The vase broke. John broke the vase. The vase was broken.

The third example is the passive of the second example. We said above that in the first example,
you may understand that the vase broke by itself or that someone caused the vase to break,
whilst in the second example, you must understand that John caused the vase to break. In the
third example, you understand that the vase did not break by itself, but do not know who caused
the breakage. The Subjects of the first and the third examples are the same, but the meanings
are different.

note:

They are sentences and they have different meanings- and would be used in different contexts -

What happened to my favorite vase? It’s gone.

The vase was broken and in pieces when I came downstairs this morning. I swept up the pieces
and put them in the rubbish bin.

The vase broke in my hands when I picked it up to dust it. I was very gentle but it was old and
fragile.

Actual and potential events

Most ergative verbs can be used to indicate events that have taken place (actual events), or
events that might take place (potential events). An example of an actual event is:

The glass broke.

Examples of potential events are:

This kind of glass tends to break in cold weather. This kind of glass breaks easily.

Some ergative verbs, in the pattern with the `doer' as Subject, are usually used only to indicate
potential events. The pattern with the `causer' as Subject can be used to indicate both actual and
potential events.

This cream smells clean and fresh, and applies easily. After you have stepped from a warm bath,
apply the cream evenly over your body.

These eye shadows won't fade or crease and contain herbal extracts to soften the skin.
Ultraviolet light will fade the colours in organic materials.

--------

Within this alteration — described here as an 'ergative pair' — there is a set of basically
intransitive volitional activities (walk, jump, march) in which the second participant is involved
either willingly or unwillingly. The control exerted by the Agent predominates in the causative-
transitive:

He walked the dogs in the park. The dogs walked.

He jumped the horse over the fence. The horse jumped over a fence.

The sergeant marched the soldiers. The soldiers marched.

It is also possible to have an additional agent and an additional causative verb in the transitive
clauses of ergative pairs; for example, The child got his sister to ring the bell, Mary made Peter
boil the water."

(Angela Downing and Philip Locke, English Grammar: A University Course. Routledge, 2006)
--------

Ergative pairs account for many of the most commonly used verbs in English, some of which are
listed below, with examples:

burn I've burned the toast. The toast has burned.

break The wind broke the branches. The branches broke.

burst She burst the balloon. The balloon burst.

close He closed his eyes. His eyes closed.

cook I'm cooking the rice. The rice is cooking.

fade The sun has faded the carpet. The carpet has faded.

freeze The low temperature has frozen the milk. The milk has frozen.

melt The heat has melted the ice. The ice has melted.

run Tim is running the bathwater. The bathwater is running.

stretch I stretched the elastic. The elastic stretched.

tighten He tightened the rope. The rope tightened.

wave Someone waved a flag. A flag waved.