Semantic Roles

By Bushra TabassumUniversity of Gujrat Semantic roles

Semantic Roles

A semantic role is the underlying relationship that a participant has with the main verb in a clause.

Agent The instigator of the action denoted by the predicate. For Example Ahmed pushed the door. As in the sentence one role is taken by the Ahmed and Ahmed performs the action so it is agent.

Patient The undergoer of the action or event denoted by the predicate. For Example The dog ate the meat. As in this sentence meat is patient because action is performed on the meat.

Theme The entity that is moved by the action or event denoted by the predicate. For Example Farhan kicked the ball. In this sentence ball is the theme because it is affected by the action performed by the Farhan.

Experiencer The living entity that experiences the action or event denoted by the predicate. For Example Sana smelled the rose. As in this sentence Sana is experiencer because it was Sana who smelled the rose.

Goal The location or entity in the direction of which something moves. For Example Alia went home. As in this sentence home is goal because Alia move to this place.

Instrument The medium by which the action or event denoted by the predicate is carried out. For Example Nazia cut the bread with a knife. In this sentence knife is an instrument beacuse Nazia perform an action by this object.

Locative The specification of the place where the action or event denoted by the predicate in situated. For Example Ayesha saw a fly on the wall. As we know in this sentence wall is location because the fly is situated to that place.