What is the Semantic Role of "The rain" in the following sentence:

The rain made Ahmed shiver.

Question

What is the Semantic Role of "The rain" in the following sentence:

The rain made Ahmed shiver.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

In this sentence, the phrase The rain serves to trigger Ahmed's reaction, which is the verb shiver. The role played by The rain is the cause of the action; it is what brings about Ahmed's shivering. 
Option 1: Agent. An agent typically performs the action of a verb intentionally or volitionally, and in this sentence The rain is not performing an action by choice or agency toward Ahmed; the rain is the environmental factor that causes the reaction, so this is not the agent role.
Option 2: Experiencer. An experiencer is the entity that experiences a mental or emotional state or sensation. Ahmed is the one who shivers, but The rain is not experiencing anything; rather, it is causing Ahmed to shiver. Thus this option misidentifies who experiences the state.
Option 3: Cause. This is the correct classification: The rain is the source of the cause for Ahmed's shivering. It is the factor that brings about the verb’s event, fitting the semantic role of cause or causer in causative constructions.
Option 4: Patient. A patient typically undergoes an action or is affected by it; in passive or affected-by roles, the patient is the entity that is acted upon. The rain is not being acted upon here; it initiates the action, so patient is not appropriate.
Therefore, the rain is best analyzed as the cause of Ahmed shivering, since it precipitates the event rather than undergoing it, experiencing it, or performing it with intentional agency.

LIN 001Y A01-A12 SQ 2025 Semantics HW

What is the Semantic Role of "The rain" in the following sentence: The rain made Ahmed shiver.

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