Role Definition Examples
* Root: Indicates the root of the tree.
  • John broke the vase.
AGT Agent: An agent can be defined using Dowty's criteria for proto-agency as the highest proto-agent ever. Thus an Agent should have the features of volition, sentience, causation and independent existence.
  • John broke the vase. (Dorr - Agent)
  • Henry pushed the door open and went in. (Gildea - Agent)
  • Henry pushed/broke the door. (VerbNet - Agent)
INS Instrument: An instrument should have causation but no volition. Its sentience and existence are not relevant. Typically, an instrument appears with an agent (present or deleted) and can be paraphrased with "using".
  • The Hammer broke the vase. (Dorr - Agent)
  • She hit him with a baseball bat.(Dorr - Instrument)
  • In the children with colonic contractions fasting motility did not differentiate children with and without constipation. (Gildea - Instrument)
  • If this is the case can it be substantiated by evidence from the history of developed societies (Gildea - Force)
  • Jeez, that amazes me as well as riles me. (Gildea - Cause)
  • The Hammer broke the vase. (VerbNet - Instrument)
  • She hit him with a baseball bat.(VerbNet - Instrument)
  • His death saddened us. (VerbNet - Cause)
EXP Experiencer: An experiencer has no causation but is sentient and exists independently. Typically an experiencer is the subject of verbs like feel, hear, see, sense, smell, taste, notice, discern, detect, glimpse, listen, regard, seek, scrutinize, etc.
  • John heard the vase shatter. (Dorr - Experiencer)
  • It may even have been that John anticipating his imminent doom ratified some such arrangement perhaps in the ceremony at the Jordan. (Gildea - Experiencer)
  • John shivered. (VerbNet - Experiencer)
THM Theme: The theme is typically causally affected or experiences a movement and/or change in state (thus more proto-patient-like in Dowty's terms although its existence is independent). The theme can appear as the information in verbs like acquire, learn, memorize, read, study, etc. It can also be a thing, event or state (clausal complement).
  • John went to school. (Dorr - Theme)
  • John broke the vase. (Dorr - Theme)
  • John memorized his lines. (Dorr - Information)
  • She buttered the bread with margarine. (Dorr - Instrument)
  • John wanted to go home. (Dorr - Prop)
  • He said, ``We would urge people to be aware and be alert with fireworks because your fun might be someone else's tragedy.'' (Gildea - Topic)
  • As soon as a character lays a hand on this item, the skeletal Cleric grips it more tightly. (Gildea - Patient)
  • It says that rotation of partners does not demonstrate independence. (Gildea - Proposition)
  • John went to school. (VerbNet - Theme)
  • John broke the vase. (VerbNet - Patient)
  • She buttered the bread with margarine. (VerbNet - Theme)
  • They talked about Mary. (VerbNet - Topic)
  • John and Mary argued for hours. (VerbNet - Actor)
PRC Perceived: Refers to a perceived entity that isn't required by the verb but further characterizes the situation. The perceived is neither causally affected nor causative. It doesn't experience a movement or change in state. Its volition and sentience are irrelevant. Its existence is independent of an experiencer. PRC is often paired with EXP.
  • He saw the play. (Dorr - Perceived)
  • He looked into the room. (Dorr - Perceived)
  • The cat's fur feels good to John. (Dorr - perceptual modifier)
  • She imagined the movie to be loud. (Dorr - MOD-PROP)
  • What is apparent is that this manual is aimed at the non-specialist technician possibly an embalmer who has good knowledge of some medical procedures. (Gildea - Percept)
  • Rex spied out Sam Maggott hollering at all and sundry and making good use of his over-sized red gingham handkerchief. (Gildea - State)
PRD Predicate: Indicates new modifying information about other thematic roles. Typically, it is the predicate of verbs like be, become, consider (a fool), pronounce (dead), presume (happy), etc.
  • We considered him a fool. (Dorr - Pred)
  • We pronounced him dead. (Dorr - Pred)
  • She acted happy. (Dorr - Pred)
  • The nation elected him president. (Dorr - Mod-pred)
  • They worshiped him as their leader. (Dorr - Mod-pred)
  • She imagined him as a prince. (Dorr - Mod-pred)
SRC Source: Indicates where/when the theme started in its motion, or what its original state was, or where its original (possibly abstract) location/time was.
  • John left the house. (Dorr - Source)
  • John ran away from home. (Dorr - Source)
  • John slept from 5pm until 10pm. (Dorr - temporal Source)
  • He heard the sound of liquid slurping in a metal container as Farrell approached him from behind. (Gildea - Source)
  • John left the house. (VerbNet - Location/Source)
GOL Goal: Indicates where the theme ends up in its motion, or what its final state is, or where/when its final (possibly abstract) location/time is. It also can indicate the thing/event resulting from the verb's occurrence (the result).
  • John ran home. (Dorr - Goal)
  • John ran to the store. (Dorr - Goal)
  • John gave a book to Mary. (Dorr - Goal)
  • John gave Mary a book. (Dorr - Goal)
  • Distant across the river the towers of the castle rose against the sky straddling the only land approach into Shrewsbury. (Gildea -Goal)
  • John ran to the store. (VerbNet - Location/Destination)
  • John gave a book to Mary. (VerbNet - Recipient)
  • John gave Mary a book. (VerbNet - Recipient)
  • John turned into a monkey. (Dorr - Goal)
  • She wiped the floor clean. (Dorr - Pred)
  • All the arrangements for stay-behind agents in north-west Europe collapsed, but Dansey was able to charm most of the governments in exile in London into recruiting spies. (Gildea - Result)
  • John turned into a monkey. (VerbNet - Product (turn class))
  • She wiped the floor clean. (VerbNet - Oblique[+state])
LOC Location: Indicates static locations---as opposed to a source or goal, i.e., the (possibly abstract) location of the theme or event. This can also be a modifier rather than an argument. Refers to a location that isn't required by the verb but modifies the entire situation. This is a (possibly abstract) location of the theme or event.
  • He lived in France. (Dorr - Location)
  • The water fills the box. (Dorr - Location)
  • This cabin sleeps five people. (Dorr -Location)
  • John has five bucks. (Dorr - Theme)
  • She grabbed him by the arm. (Dorr - Locational Modifier)
  • She held the child in her arm. (Dorr - Locational Modifier)
  • She coughed on John. (Dorr - Locational Modifier)
  • The box on the shelf is red. (Dorr - Locational Modifier)
  • She sang on the stage. (Dorr - Locational Modifier)
  • The book unfolded before her. (Dorr - Locational Modifier)
  • These fleshy appendages are used to detect and taste food amongst the weed and debris on the bottom of a river. (Gildea - Location)
Possible corresponding VerbNet roles: Location, Source or Destination.
TMP Time Indicates time.
  • John sleeps for five hours. (Dorr - Time)
  • Mary ate during the meeting. (Dorr - Time)
  • Sam gave his speech during the conference. (Dorr - Time)
  • John arrived at nine o'clock. (Dorr - Time)
BEN Beneficiary: Indicates the thing that receives the benefit/result of the event/state.
  • John baked the cake for Mary. (Dorr - Benefactive modifier)
  • John baked Mary a cake. (Dorr - Benefactive modifier)
  • An accident happened to him. (Dorr - Benefactive modifier)
  • John baked the cake for Mary. (VerbNet - Beneficiary)
  • John baked Mary a cake. (VerbNet - Beneficiary)
PRP Purpose: Indicates the purpose/reason behind an event/state.
  • He studied for the exam. (Dorr - Purpose)
  • He searched for rabbits. (Dorr - Purpose)
POS Possessed: Indicates the possessed entity in verbs such as own, have, possess, fit, buy, and carry.
  • John has five bucks. (Dorr - Possessed)
  • This box carries five eggs. (Dorr - Possessed)
  • This cabin sleeps five people. (Dorr - Possessed)
  • He loaded the cart with hay. (Dorr - Possessed Modifier)
  • He robbed him of his rights. (Dorr - Possessed Modifier)
  • He bought it for five dollars. (Dorr - Possessed Modifier)
  • He bought it for five dollars. (VerbNet - Asset)
PRO Proposition: Indicates the secondary event/state.
  • He wanted to study for the exam. (Dorr - Proposition)
  • He proposed that we all go together. (Dorr - Proposition)
MOD Modifier: Indicates a property of a thing such as color, taste, size, etc.
  • The red book ... (Dorr - Property)
  • The man who was eating ice cream was loud. (Dorr - MOD-PROP)
  • The book that unfolded endlessly before her was boring. (Dorr - MOD-PROP)
  • The book sitting on the table ... (Dorr - MOD-PROP)
NIL Null Indicates no thematic contribution. Typical examples are impersonal it and there, modals (can, will, shall), auxiliaries (has, be), infinitive marker (to), complementizer (that), punctuation, etc.
  • Yet while she had no intention of surrendering her home, it would be foolish to let the atmosphere between them become too acrimonious. (Gildea - Null)
NON None of the Above: This role is preserved for any thematic relation not described in this table.
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