(1) | a. | Agent: | The lions devoured the wildebeest. | |
b. | The boys caught some fish. | |||
c. | My mother wrote me a letter. | |||
(2) | a. | Instrument: | This key opens the door to the main office. | |
b. | They must have used indelible ink. | |||
(3) | a. | Cause: | Hurricane-force winds demolished much of the town. | |
b. | An epidemic killed off all of the tomatoes. | |||
c. | An economic downturn put thousands of workers out of work. |
Experiencers are arguments that undergo a sensory, cognitive, or emotional experience.
(4) | a. | Experiencer: | The rhesus monkey had never seen snow before. | |
b. | Many people fear snakes. | |||
c. | Their resourcefulness struck her as admirable. |
Recipients are arguments that receive something (whether good or bad) in a situation.
(5) | a. | Recipient: | They gave the workers a raise. | |
b. | He spared me his usual sob story. | |||
c. | I paid my landlord the rent. |
Goals are the endpoints of paths.
(6) | a. | Goal: | I'd like to send this package to France. | |
b. | They invited the Holtenbrooks to their house for dinner. | |||
c. | Lucky raced across the lawn to the edge of the forest. | |||
(7) | a. | Path: | Lucky raced across the lawn to the edge of the forest. | |
b. | We drove the scenic route. |
Measure or amount arguments express extension along some dimension (length, duration, cost, and so on).
(8) | a. | Measure: | They rowed for three days. | |
b. | The book costs ten dollars. |
Finally, the thematic role of theme is something of a catch-all. According to one definition, 'theme' refers to an argument undergoing motion of some sort, including motion in a metaphorical sense, such as a change of state. As is usual in the syntactic literature, we will also use the term for arguments that are most 'affected' in a situation or for the content of an experience.
(9) | a. | Theme: | The lions devoured the wildebeest. | |
b. | This key opens the door to the main office. | |||
c. | Hurricane-force winds demolished much of the town. | |||
d. | They gave the workers a raise. | |||
e. | I'd like to send this package to France. | |||
f. | Many people fear snakes. |