Spending efforts "V away at n" construction
Form
NP
Agent
Verb
away
at
NP
Goal
Examples
Agent
I
'm
Verb
toiling
away
away
at
at
Goal
[an MBA.]
Meaning
An Agent spends efforts towards achieving some Goal.
Roles
Agent
The person or thing that is acting.
Goal
What the Agent's efforts are aimed towards.
Frames
Inherits from
Sub-constructions
Lexical items ( Verb slot)
Work
work
I'd be prepared to keep working away at a deal, if one were still possible.
toil
I'm toiling away at an MBA in order to be better at my job as an ad account manager.
Lexical items without a frame:
beaver
He beavered away at border issues with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge into the night.