Grammar

Name | Definition | Example |
External Causer | It expresses the unwitting (generally inanimate) cause of an event. | The avalanche destroyed several houses.The electric shock killed him. |Instrument | It is the entity (generally inanimate) which an agent uses to perform an action or instigate a process. | A car knocked them down.The computer had solved the problem. |
Affected (1) | Withtransitive verbs the subject also frequently has the affected role elsewhere typical of the direct object. The term affected can also be applied to subjects of copular verbs. | Jack fell down.(accidentally)The pencil was lying on the table. |
Identified (a) | When I call someone in particular. | Kevin is my brother. |
Characterized (b) | When I describe someone or something. | Kevin is a goodstudent. |
Recipient | With verbs such as: have, own, possess, and benefit (from). | Mr. smith has given his son a radio (so now his son has a radio). |
Experiencer | When you do thingsbecause you have the senses. With the perceptual verbs see and hear, taste, smell require an experiencer subject, in contrast to look at and listen to, which are agentive. | I want you to taste the soup.Thesoup tastes good.I can’t hear the birds. *Normally, recipient and experiencer subjects go with verbs used statively. |
Positioner | With intransitive verbs of stance such as: sit, stand, stay,remain, lie, live and with transitive verbs related to stance verbs such as: carry, hold, keep, wear. | I have lived in London most of my life.They are staying the hotel. |
Locative | Designates theplace of the state or action. | Los Angeles is foggy. (It’s foggy in los Angeles).This jar contains coffee (There is coffee in this jar). |
Eventive | Designates an event. The noun at the head of thenoun phrase is commonly deverbal (derived from a verb) or a nominalization. | The match is tomorrow.The Norman invasion took place in 1066.The party is today. |
Temporal | Designates time or...