Active verbs with inanimate subjects in scientific prose

Abstract

The use of active verbs with inanimate subjects (e.g., A thermometer measures temperature) is a prevalent phenomenon in scientific prose. However, many students, particularly those whose first language is an Asian one, find it difficult if not impossible to use an active verb with an inanimate subject in writing English because they find it unacceptably anthropomorphic. English speakers do not interpret such a structure anthropomorphically because English allows active verbs with inanimate subjects only when the verb is an inherent aspect or function of that subject. The present study analyzes 2979 subject-verb pairs from Science News to determine the relative frequency of inanimate subjects with active verbs. The results suggest that inanimate subjects with active verbs are more prevalent than inanimate subjects with passive verbs, especially when the subject is abstract. Active verbs with inanimate subjects were found to have two major functions: to show causality and to explain. Since EST students with Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and certain other native language backgrounds evince frequent errors in using this structure, suggestions are made for teaching inanimate subjects with active verbs and the bounds of English anthropomorphism in scientific writing.