Major thematic relations
Following major thematic relations have been identified:[2]
Agent
deliberately performs the action (e.g., Bill ate his soup quietly.).
Experiencer
the entity that receives sensory or emotional input (e.g. Susan heard the song. I cried.).
Stimulus
Entity that prompts sensory or emotional feeling – not deliberately (e.g. David Peterson detests onions!).
Theme
undergoes the action but does not change its state (e.g., We believe in one God. I have two children. I put the book on the table. He gave the gun to the police officer.) (Sometimes used interchangeably with patient.)
Patient
undergoes the action and changes its state (e.g., The falling rocks crushed the car.). (Sometimes used interchangeably with theme.)
Instrument
used to carry out the action (e.g., Jamie cut the ribbon with a pair of scissors.).
Force or Natural Cause
mindlessly performs the action (e.g., An avalanche destroyed the ancient temple.).
Location
where the action occurs (e.g., Johnny and Linda played carelessly in the park. I'll be at Julie's house studying for my test.).
Direction or Goal
where the action is directed towards (e.g., The caravan continued on toward the distant oasis. He walked to school.).
Recipient
a special kind of goal associated with verbs expressing a change in ownership, possession. (E.g., I sent John the letter. He gave the book to her.)
Source or Origin
where the action originated (e.g., The rocket was launched from Central Command. She walked away from him.).
Time
the time at which the action occurs (e.g., The pitcher struck out nine batters today)
Beneficiary
the entity for whose benefit the action occurs (e.g.. I baked Reggie a cake. He built a car for me. I fight for the king.).
Manner
the way in which an action is carried out (e.g., With great urgency, Tabitha phoned 911.).
Purpose
the reason for which an action is performed (e.g., Tabitha phoned 911 right away in order to get some help.).
Cause
what caused the action to occur in the first place; not for what, rather because of what (e.g., Because Clyde was hungry, he ate the cake.).
There are not always clear boundaries between these relations. For example, in "the hammer broke the window", hammer might be labeled an agent (see below), an instrument, a force, or possibly a cause. Nevertheless, some thematic relations labels are more logically plausible than others.
#SemanticRoles #ThematicRoles #functions #Agent #Patient #Instrument
