Semantic/Thematic Roles
Semantic/Thematic Roles: "the term...used to describe the part played by a particular entity in an event." (O'Grady, Dobrovolsky, & Aronoff: 226)
Some thematic roles (O,D,&A: 227):
Agent: the entity who deliberately performs an action Harriet broke the window with a baseball bat.
Theme: the entity undergoing a change of state or transfer Harriet broke the window with a baseball bat.
Source: the starting point for a transfer Harriet took the baseball bat from the closet.
Goal: the end point for a transfer Harriet put the baseball bat in the closet.
Experiencer: the entity perceiving something Harriet heard a noise.
Location: the place at which an entity or action is located. Harriet worked in her office.
Stimulus: the entity perceived Harriet heard a noise.
Instrument: the entity used to carry out an action Harriet broke the window with a baseball bat.
Some other proposed thematic roles (http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/syntax-textbook/box-thematic.html) include
Cause/Actor: the entitiy that brings about some event or state The wind broke the window.
Measure: the extension on some dimension (size, time, price) Harriet worked in her office for five hours.