What is the Semantic Role of "Harold" in the following sentence:

The window was broken by Harold.

Question

What is the Semantic Role of "Harold" in the following sentence:

The window was broken by Harold.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question: What is the Semantic Role of "Harold" in the sentence: 'The window was broken by Harold.'

Option 1: Agent
- In passive voice constructions like this, the performer of the action is often labeled as the Agent in semantic role labeling. Harold is the entity performing the action of breaking, even though the sentence is in passive form. This matches the typical mapping where the 'by'-phrase in a passive clause corresponds to the Agent role.

Option 2: Patient
- The Patient (or Theme) is typically the entity that undergoes the action or is affected by it. In 'The window was broken by Harold,' the window is the thing that is broken, i.e., it undergoes the breaking. Therefore, the window is the Patient, not Harold. Assigning Patient to Harold confuses who is affected with who performs.

Option 3: Subject
- The term Subject can be used in various grammars to denote the doer of the action in active sentences or the grammatical subject in a clause. In a passive construction, the grammatical subject is actually 'The window.' Since the sentence is in passive voice, the syntactic subject does not align with the semantic role of the agent. This option conflates syntactic position with semantic role, which is not accurate for Agent labeling in standard SRL practice here.

Option 4: Object
- The Object (or Recipient) would be the entity that receives the action or is directly affected by it in active voice. In this sentence, the window is the entity impacted by the breaking, not Harold. Moreover, 'object' would not be used for the agentive participant in a passive construction. Hence this choice misidentifies the role Harold plays.

Summary thought: The question targets semantic roles, not syntactic labels. Harold is the entity performing the action of breaking in a passive sentence, which is consistent with the Agent role. The window is the patient, as the entity undergoing the action of breaking. Confusions typically arise when equating grammatical subject with semantic role or when ignoring the passive construction's agentive by-phrase.

LIN 001Y A01-A12 SQ 2025 Semantics HW

What is the Semantic Role of "Harold" in the following sentence: The window was broken by Harold.

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