Thematic roles

1. Lecture No. 5
CHAPTER SEVEN

2. Subject is Agentive when an animate is doing the action
Ex: The manager cancelled the meeting.
Subject is Instrumental when a tool causes of an event
Ex: The knife cuts the cake easily.
Subject is Affected when the verb of the sentence is intransitive
Ex: Jack fell down.
Subject is also Affected when the verb of the sentence is verb
to be and the subject is an inanimate
Ex: The pencil was on the table.
7.10 AGENTIVE AND INSTRUMENTAL SUBJECT

3. A-Verb of the sentence is ( have , own
, possess , give , sell , benefit )
Ex: Mr. Smith has bought his son a radio. So his
son owns the radio.
B- Verb of the sentence is Perceptual
verbs ( see , hear )
Ex: John heard the noise.
C- Verbs indicating ( mental state )
Ex: John liked the play.
* Subject with the Perceptual verbs (
taste , smell , feel ) can be agentive
and recipient
Ex: John tasted the soup.
Subject is
Recipient
in the
following
Cases :
7.11
RECIPIENT
SUBJECT