It washes so softly.

[嘟嘟嘟嘟]

"The skirt is made of silk. It washes so softly, and I like it. "Is the underlined part good English? Does it mean when it is washed, it feels so soft? In this use, I've only seen the example of "something washes well', it shows different meanings in different dictionaries. Then what does "wash well" mean? Are there other adverbs that are usually used in "somthing washes _____" ? Thanks for help!

 

[Tarheel]

I'm not familiar with such expressions. That is, I am unfamiliar with expressions like something washes. Clothes do not, of course, wash themselves. We wash them. So I don't know what it means to say something washes softly. The same goes for saying something washes well.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's occasionally used that way in BrE. It means that, when washed, it comes out soft. As the dictionary indicated, "it washes well" is used too. It means that it doesn't degrade badly with repeated washing.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It might just be poor use of the word.

Was it written or spoken? Where is it from? Is it from a native English speaker? You haven't told us yet.

 

[TheParser]

"The skirt is made of silk. It washes so softly, and I like it. "Is the underlined part good English?

NOT A TEACHER

I think that you will like these comments from a much respected source: "Adjectives can also be used in the structure verb + object + adjective, in order to describe the object of the verb."

The following words (including those in parentheses) are the source's: "New SUPER GUB washes clothes SUPER WHITE (not … WHITELY...)."


I feel, therefore, the adjective "soft" is the appropriate word. (That is to say, "It washes the skirt soft.")


Source: Michael Swan, Practical English Usage (1995), item 147.5 on page 136.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Interesting. I'd still like more context. Standing alone, it seems like a non sequitur. Softly doesn't bother me. (Or soft, if it comes to that.) Washes does. I wouldn't be puzzled by:

- The skirt is made of silk. I like it. And it washes so softly, too.
- The skirt is made of silk. It drapes so softly, and I like it.

Junior, can you give us more information?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . I feel, therefore, the adjective "soft" is the appropriate word. (That is to say, "It washes the skirt soft.") . . .

Interesting! I certainly agree. Things come out of the wash soft, not softly. (Well, they might come out silently, but that's not the point, right? We don't expect to hear a lot of crashing and clanking coming from the laundry room.)

But I'd still like more context. Softly doesn't bother me. (Or soft, if it comes to that.) Washes does. And that's the word Junior is wondering about, too. Standing alone, it seems like a non sequitur. I wouldn't be puzzled by:

- The skirt is made of silk. I like it. And it washes so soft, too.
- The skirt is made of silk. It drapes so softly, and I like it.

So Junior, can you give us more information?

 

[jutfrank]

"Adjectives can also be used in the structure verb + object + adjective, in order to describe the object of the verb."

The following words (including those in parentheses) are the source's: "New SUPER GUB washes clothes SUPER WHITE (not … WHITELY...)."

Right. The adjective in this pattern describes the result of the action of the verb upon the object.

 

[嘟嘟嘟嘟]

It might just be poor use of the word.

Was it written or spoken? Where is it from? Is it from a native English speaker? You haven't told us yet.

There is such a use about the word "wash" in the dictonary(not only this word, but some others like "read, write'. The following are from Longman and Oxford dictionaries. And sometimes it is even tested in English exams for middle school students in my country.

​[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (of clothes, cloth, etc.) to be able to be washed without losing colour or being damaged

• This sweater washes well. (from 'Oxford Learner's Dictionaries')
• -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• [h=1]wash well[/h]From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwash wellto be easy to clean using soap and water Silk doesn’t wash well.→ washExamples from the Corpuswash well• Silk doesn't wash well.• This one is knitted in a linen-mix yarn which washes well and feels especially soft to touch.• Drain the anchovies and wash well to remove the oil from the surface.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  8 STYLE OF WRITING [intransitive] if something reads well, badly etc, it has been written well, badly etc I think in general the report reads well.
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  9 PEN [intransitive] if a pen writes, it works properly Do any of these pens write?

 

[Tarheel]

We do say that about books. When we say a book ""reads well" we mean it's not too hard. We might also mean that it's interesting enough to make you want to turn the page.

 

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER


1. I think that we may be discussing something that some people label as "middle verbs."

2. If you go to the search box at this website and type in "It reads well," some informative threads will come up on this subject.

a. I found especially informative a thread entitled "The book reads well, or How to recognize the active and the passive??" (Post #2 of that thread is extremely informative.)

(Please excuse this elderly man for his ignorance on how to link. I could barely type this post.)

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

There is such a use about the word "wash" in the dictonary . . . .This sweater washes well. (from 'Oxford Learner's Dictionaries')

• -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• wash well . . .

Yes. I know. That's why I said it might just be a non sequitur (that is, off-topic).

And maybe not. That's why I asked you for more information. Can you give us more of the quote?