Semantics
Where meaning is articulated, negotiated, and shaped within the boundaries of language.
Thematic Role Analyzer
Enter any sentence to see its semantic participant structure
Try: gave a book loves music sat on mat with a knife passive beneficiary source & goal cause comitative experiencer
Thematic Roles — Reference Guide
Agent
The entity that intentionally and volitionally performs the action. Always animate and in control of the event.
John kicked the ball. / She wrote a letter.Patient
The entity that is directly affected, changed, or acted upon by the action. May be destroyed or created.
John kicked the ball. / She broke the vase.Theme
The entity that moves, is located, or is described — but is not necessarily changed by the event. Often used with verbs of motion and transfer.
She carried the book. / The leaf fell.Experiencer
The entity that undergoes a psychological or perceptual state — an emotion, feeling, or sensory experience — without necessarily doing anything.
She fears spiders. / He loves jazz.Stimulus
The entity or situation that causes or triggers the psychological state of the Experiencer. Usually the object of a mental or emotional verb.
She fears spiders. / The music moved him.Recipient
The entity that receives something as the result of a transfer event. Typically animate and gains possession.
She gave him a gift. / He sent her a letter.Beneficiary
The entity that benefits from the action, whether or not they receive anything directly. Usually marked by the preposition for.
She baked a cake for her sister.Goal
The endpoint or destination of a movement or transfer event. Where or to whom something moves or is directed.
He walked to the park. / She moved to London.Source
The starting point of a movement or transfer event. Where something moves away from or originates.
He came from Paris. / She took it from the shelf.Location
The place where the action or state occurs. Not a direction or endpoint — a stable setting for the event.
The cat sat on the mat. / She works in the library.Instrument
The inanimate means or tool used to carry out an action. Usually introduced by with or by means of.
He cut the bread with a knife. / She typed with one finger.Cause
A non-volitional force that brings about the event. Unlike an Agent, the Cause has no intention or control — it is a natural or abstract force.
The storm destroyed the crops. / Fear stopped him.Time
A temporal expression that specifies when the action takes place. Introduced by prepositions like at, on, in, during, after, before.
She left yesterday. / He arrived at noon.Comitative
The animate entity that accompanies the Agent in performing the action. Introduced by with, along with, or together with.
She danced with John. / He traveled with his family.