Cause_motion "V n n" construction

Form

NP
Agent
Verb
NP
Recipient
NP
Theme

Examples

Agent He
Verb passed
Recipient Miranda
Theme [the paper.]
Agent He
Verb tossed
Recipient her
Theme [the scarf.]
Agent We
'll
Verb mail
Recipient you
Theme [a questionnaire.]

Meaning

An Agent causes a Theme to move to a Recipient.

Roles

Agent
The Agent is the one whose action causes the motion of a Theme.
Recipient
The Recipient is the person with whom the Theme ends up as a result of the motion.
Theme
The object that is moved by the Agent.

Frames

Cause_motion ( Agent, Goal, Theme )

Description

In this "V n n" construction, the Theme is physically moved to a goal, identified as the Recipient. The Recipient ends up in control of the Theme, and is sometimes implied to gain ownership of it. This construction is most typically used with central caused motion verbs like bring or throw, but it also contains verbs that refer to sending via immaterial means, such as fax and email.

Inherits from

Sub-constructions

Lexical items ( Verb slot)

Sending send He sent them his hearty wishes. mail We'll mail you a questionnaire. post His mother posted him a cheque. email Could you perhaps email me the questions? fax You actually faxed us an order about a week or so ago. wire His mother wired him the fare home. Passing pass He passed Miranda the paper. throw Telecom had merely thrown consumers a few crumbs. toss He tossed her the scarf. Cause_motion chuck She chucked him the wagon and what it contained. Bringing bring Frank Koller brings us the latest details. fetch He insisted on fetching me a coffee. get They got me a glass of water.

Phraseological constructions