| Semantic Role (reference to Reality) | Meaning | Syntactic correspondence (Linguistic expression of events of Reality) |
| Agent | An animated object which deliberately, purposefully commits an action | 1. Subject 2. Direct Object |
| Patience | Any object (whether animated or unanimated) an action is directed to | 1. Direct Object 2. Subject |
| Factitive | The result of an action | 1. Direct Object 2. Subject |
| Benefactive | An object for the sake of which an action is committed | 1. Indirect Object 2. Subject |
| Instrument | An instrument an action is committed | Indirect Object |
| Means | How an action is committed | Adverbial Modifier |
| Locative | Where an action is committed | Adverbial Modifier |
For example:
1. Agent.
1). The man has brought a good news (Subject).
2). The news was brought by the man (Object).
2. Patience.
The man has brought a good news (Object).
The news was brought by the man (Subject).
3. Factitive.
The man has wrote a book of poems (Object).
A book of poems was wrote by the man (Subject).
4. Benefactive.
She gave him reasonable advice (Indirect Object).
He was given reasonable advice.
5. Instrument.
He wrote the letter with a pen (Indirect Object).
6. Means.
He wrote the letter thoughtfully (Adverbial Modifier).
7. Locative.
He wrote the letter in the hotel (Adverbial Modifier).
Semantic Roles in this or that way refer to an action (activity, state, existence). The Action is presented and emphasized. If there is no action, there is no cognitive intention to present it in utterance. Thus, Semantic Roles ground the Role Structure of the Verb. It includes all the possible relations (semantic maximum of the Verb) of a concrete verb with other possible components.
For example:
The Role Structure of the verb to show will include the following Semantic Roles:
Main: Agent (Who?), Patience (What?), Benefactive (To whom?); Subordinate: Instrument (Whit what?), Means (How?), Locative (Where?).
He quickly showed her a wound on his left shoulder with the help of his right hand.
He (Agent) quickly (Means) showed her (Benefactive) a wound (Patience) on his left shoulder (Locative) with the help of his right hand (Instrument).
Schematically it (Role Structure) will be presented in the following way:
show [ – Agent, Benefactive, Patience]
In accordance with an event of Reality which is presented in utterance there is an appropriate selection of Semantic Roles of the Verb, which creates a definite Semantic Configuration of a sentence. In the basis of the Sentence there is a certain Semantic Configuration (an organization of a number of semantic roles and the meaning of an action). Semantic Configuration presents semantic minimum of the Sentence.
For example:
The Semantic Configuration of the following sentence will include the following Semantic Roles:
The man cut glass with a diamond.
The man (Agent) cut glass (Patience) with a diamond (Instrument).
Schematically it (Semantic Configuration) will be presented in the following way:
{cut, Agent, Patience, Instrument}