Quasi-agentive Instrumental Subject U

‘I was still eating lunch when he arrived.’

‘It's raining.’

‘The fire burnt for hours.’

‘The fire was burning brightly.’

‘She hugged her little sister and kissed her on the head.’

‘The children laughed and laughed.’

‘I talked to him about his problem for quite a while.’

‘I can't talk to her. She won't listen.’

‘The men carried the gear to camp.’

‘He was carrying a weapon.’

‘The flood waters carried her away.’

‘I looked at her again but I still didn't recognise her.’

‘He saw the bear by the river bank.’

‘The bear smelled the boy.’

‘I don't know her well.’

‘I was thinking about my mother yesterday.’

‘The girl sent flowers to her grandmother in hospital.’

‘The girl tore the page from the book.’

‘The men searched for the women.’

‘They searched the house (for the women).’

‘They searched me (for drugs).’

‘The men met the boys at the river.’

‘I helped the boys to fix their bikes.’

‘The mother washed the baby.’

‘I generally wash the delicate items by hand.’

‘The mother dressed her daughter.’

‘He beat the poor dog with a stick.’

‘He poured the water into the glass.’

‘The woman covered her son with a blanket.’

‘I covered my eyes with my hands.’

‘She wiped the crumbs off the table.’

‘He wiped the tears from his eyes.’

‘The boy hid the frog from his mother.’

‘He hid it under the bed.’

‘She hid her face.’

‘He took the money from the drawer.’

‘The girls showed the pictures to their teacher.’

‘My grandmother taught me this song.’

‘The children were playing in the garden.’

‘They live in town.’

‘They live near the river.’

‘At the time I was living in Armidale.’

‘I couldn't sleep, I was coughing all night.’

‘Coming out into the sunshine, I blinked a few times before I could see properly.’

‘His eyes blinked involuntarily.’

‘Americans generally fear the Muslim Brotherhood.’

‘She feared his temper.’

‘She feared him for his temper.’

‘I'm afraid of spiders.’

‘It turned out he was afraid of heights.’

‘Oh my God, don't do that, you frightened me!’

‘His temper frightens me.’

‘He scares me sometimes.’

‘Pete really likes his PS3.’

‘Roger likes playing tennis.’

‘They called the baby Anna.’

‘They called him a fool.’

‘The children named their new puppies Bonnie, Mitzy, and Ben.’

‘She told me a funny story.’

‘The boy asked his parents for money.’

‘I asked for help with filling out the form.’

‘The ball rolled across the floor.’

‘The boat sank.’

‘It sank into the swamp.’

‘The poor boy lost his grip and sank under the waves.’

‘The Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean.’

‘Those who can't swim generally sink like a stone.’

‘This man is a hunter.’

‘She screamed in fear.’

‘The children sat on the floor.’

‘The boy left the village.’

‘The horse is running.’

‘The children sat down on the bench and waited.’

‘The women went to the market every day.’

‘I'm cold.’

‘My main meal was cold.’

‘I feel cold.’

‘The little girl was sad because she'd lost her kitten.’

‘I felt sad for some reason.’

‘I was too sick to go to work all last week.’

‘I felt sick after lunch and wondered if the food was OK.’

‘I feel sick when I think about it.’

‘The clothes are dry.’

‘The baby is hungry.’

‘I wasn't hungry but I ate anyway.’

‘I felt hungry all the time.’

‘She fell down and hurt herself.’

‘He slipped and fell into the pool.’

‘Apprarently the child fell from the balcony.’

‘My i-pod fell into the water.’

‘It must have fallen out of my pocket.’

‘He fell to his knees and wept.’

‘My neck hurts when I turn my head.’

‘It hurts!’

‘I had a pain in my back.’

‘She had a stabbing pain in her back.’

‘I heard shouting outside.’

‘I heard a loud bang in the car park.’

‘Listen to me carefully.’

‘They listened patiently to the opening speeches.’

‘I couldn't sleep because the baby was crying.’

‘All of a sudden her fairy Godmother appeared in front of her.’

‘This story first appeared in Le Monde.’

‘Modern humans first appeared in Africa.’

‘The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.’

‘The water's boiling.’

‘I want an icecream.’

‘I want you.’

‘He made a shelter out of branches and leaves.’

‘She made biscuits out of rice flour.’

‘In America they make ethanol from corn, in Brazil they make it from sugarcane.’

‘Did you make it or buy it?’

‘I got a new bike for Christmas.’

‘I got an email from Christina today.’

‘He got a prize for the best undergraduate essay in his year.’

‘We got a loan from the bank.’

‘The thief stole money from the old lady.’

‘The child stole cookies from the cookie jar.’

‘Cut the onion with a sharp knife.’

‘She said something to me.’

‘I climbed up/down/over/in.’

‘She put the cup on the table.’

‘He put the phone down (way, back).’

‘The boy threw the ball through the window.’

‘They threw eggs at me.’

‘The mother was shouting at the children.’

‘He died when he was sixteen.’

‘I jumped for joy.’

‘We gave the books to the children.’

‘The man killed the snake with a stick.’

‘The boys followed the girls to the river.’

‘The boys followed the path all the way to the river.’

‘His eyes followed her every move.’

‘He's always following me around.’

‘He shaved his beard.’

‘She shaved her head.’

‘She sings beautifully.’

‘The boy touched the snake with a stick.’

‘The boy hit the snake with a stick.’

‘He broke the glass with a hammer.’

‘They built the model out of plywood and plastic.’

‘I peeled the potatoes with that new Swiss vegetable peeler.’

‘He tied the horse to the tree with a rope.’

‘She filled the glass with water.’

‘The farmer loaded the hay onto the truck.’

‘They loaded her into the ambulance.’

‘She was digging in the garden.’

‘He pushed her into the water.’

‘They managed to push it down the driveway and onto the street.’

‘The women ground the seeds with a mortar and pestle.’

‘The men cooked the meat.’

‘She brought them to me.’