factive (adj./n.)

A term used in the classification of verbs, referring to a verb which takes a complement clause, and where the speaker presupposes the truth of the proposition expressed in that clause. For example, know, agree, realize, etc. are ‘factive verbs’ (or ‘factives’): in she knows that the cat is in the garden, the speaker presupposes that the cat is in the garden. ‘Factive predicators’ may involve other classes than verbs: adjective and noun constructions, for example, may display factivity, as in it’s surprising that he left, it’s a shame that he left. By contrast, non-factive constructions do not commit the speaker to the truth of the proposition expressed in the complement clause, e.g. believe, think, as in she thinks that the cat is in the garden. Contrafactive constructions presuppose the falsity of the proposition expressed in the complement clause, e.g. wish, pretend, as in I pretended the cat was in the garden.