Attack "V at n" construction
Form
NP
Assailant
Verb
at
NP
Target
Examples
Assailant
[Whoever killed Father Reynard]
Verb
shot
at
at
Target
us
the previous evening.
Assailant
[The gang]
Verb
struck
at
at
Target
[several homes in Monaghan.]
Assailant
She
Verb
came
at
at
Target
me
like a madwoman.
Meaning
An Assailant attempts to hurt or damage a Target.
Roles
Assailant
The person that is acting towards the Target.
Target
The person or thing attacked by the Assailant.
Frames
Inherits from
Sub-constructions
Even from the grave Mahoney will get back at me.
Labour Councillors in Oxfordshire have been hitting back at Tory critics, who claim their actions have inflated Poll Tax figures.
Lexical items ( Verb slot)
Use_firearm
fire
He reloaded, fired at a sniper eighty yards away, missed and loaded again.
Shoot_projectiles
shoot
Whoever killed Father Reynard shot at us the previous evening.
snipe
For the next hour and a half, Whitman callously and cold-bloodedly sniped at anything that took his fancy.
Self_motion
fly
When another patron tried to step in, the enraged lover flew at him.
rush
Two dogs rushed at Delia Sutherland, growling and scattering dust.
Attack
come
She came at me like a madwoman.
strike
The gang has struck at several homes in Monaghan.
Aiming
aim
Whoever did it must have been aiming at her head but thankfully they missed.
Lexical items without a frame:
gob
He has also been accused of gobbing at West Ham fans and at an 11-year old Middlesborough fan.
spit
Wright is then alleged to have spat at a spectator as he left pitch.