Korean Job Discussion Forums

[raewon]

Could someone please help with the following question?

This fruit peels easily.


I think that sentence is fine, but a student feels it needs to
be "This fruit is peeled easily." How can I back up "This fruit peels easily."
with a grammatical explanation?

Thanks for any help.

[edwardcatflap]

Tell them about transitive (object) and intransitive (no object) verbs. Some verbs can be used alone, others need an object. Some verbs can be used in both ways. Give examples

e.g. the flower smells nice IT
Can you smell the flower? T

Only transitive verbs can have a passive form

'this fruit is peeled easily' is the transitive form, thus the passive can be used, 'this fruit peels easily' is the intransitive form so it needs to be the active voice.

Finish off with a joke

A: My dog's got no nose.
B: How does it smell?
A: Awful

[raewon]

Thanks a lot. Sometimes I don't think there's an "explanation" for
everything. And the joke is a nice touch.

[tremault]

I'm not sure how I might have received that explanation when I was in school.
Perhaps a more down to earth way of explaining it?

'The fruit peels easily' is talking about a property of the fruit.
'The fruit is peeled easily' is talking about an action applied to the fruit.
I would not criticise either, it is up to each individual which they want to say depending on what their focus is. If the students focus is on the fruit as the most important part of the sentence, a more intimate examination of the fruit, then 'the fruit peels easily' is a more personal approach.
If the student wants to treat the fruit as a thing for performing an action, a less personal approach, then the other phrase works better.