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Questions and Answers
What thematic role does 'Mary' play in the sentence 'We persuaded Mary to apply for the job as bus driver'?
In the sentence 'He supplied the reporters with information', what role does 'He' represent?
What thematic role is represented by 'his poetry' in the sentence 'Earle has been earning money through his poetry'?
What role does 'relaxation' serve in the sentence 'We were playing a game of monopoly for relaxation'?
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In the sentence 'The police suspected him of committing the crime', what role does 'him' fulfill?
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What thematic role does 'the summit of the mountain' play in 'The climber finally reached the summit of the mountain'?
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In the sentence 'I checked a book out of the library yesterday', what role does 'the library' serve?
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What role does 'Jerry's apartment' play in the sentence 'We had to carry the couch up three flights of stairs to Jerry's apartment'?
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Study Notes
Thematic Roles
- AGENT: The entity that initiates the action, has the ability to act with intent.
- PATIENT: The entity affected by the action, which often undergoes a change in state.
- THEME: The entity moved by an action or whose location is described.
- EXPERIENCER: The entity aware of the action or state described by the predicate, but not in control of it.
- BENEFICIARY: The entity who benefits from the action performed.
- INSTRUMENT: The means used to perform an action or bring something about.
- LOCATION: The place where something is situated or an event takes place.
- GOAL: The entity that something moves towards, either physically or metaphorically.
- SOURCE: The entity from which something moves, either physically or metaphorically.
- ACTOR: The entity performing, causing, instigating, or controlling the situation in the predicate (a broader category than AGENT).
- RECIPIENT: A type of GOAL involved in actions that describe changes of possession.
- PERCEPT/STIMULUS: The entity that is perceived or experienced.
Identifying Thematic Roles
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We persuaded Mary to apply for the job as bus driver.
- Mary: PATIENT (She is the one being persuaded, undergoing a change of state of mind)
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He supplied the reporters with information.
- He: AGENT (The one who initiates the action of supplying)
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Earle has been earning money through his poetry.
- his poetry: INSTRUMENT (The means by which Earle earns money)
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We were playing a game of monopoly for relaxation.
- relaxation: GOAL (The purpose or end result they were seeking)
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Angela was reading stories to the children this morning.
- Angela: AGENT (Initiates the action of reading)
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The police suspected him of committing the crime
- him: PATIENT (The one being suspected, undergoing a change in the police's perception of him)
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The climber finally reached the summit of the mountain.
- the summit of the mountain: GOAL ( The destination they reached, the endpoint of their movement)
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The captain of the swim team swam 20 laps.
- The captain of the swim team: AGENT (The one who performs the action of swimming)
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I checked a book out of the library yesterday.
- the library: SOURCE (The place from where the book is being moved)
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We had to carry the couch up three flights of stairs to Jerry's apartment.
- Jerry's apartment: GOAL (The end destination of the movement of the couch)
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The accountant made a mistake in the calculations.
- The accountant: AGENT (The one who performs the action making the mistake)
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Jane envies my success.
- my success: PATIENT (The thing being envied by Jane, undergoing a change in Jane's perception)
- I saw Margaret's friend at the party.
- at the party: LOCATION (The place where the friend is being seen)
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He lent his friend some money.
- He: AGENT (Initiates the action of lending) - his friend: BENEFICIARY (The person receiving the benefit of the money) - some money: THEME (The entity being moved, from He to his friend)
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Description
Explore the essential thematic roles in linguistics, including AGENT, PATIENT, and more. This quiz will test your understanding of how different entities function in relation to actions and events in sentences. Perfect for students studying semantics and syntax.
