'V at n' - Construction 17

Name: the emotion gnaws at someone construction
Description: An entity or feeling affects a person. The NP following 'at' indicates the person.
Verbs: gnaw, nibble, snap
Example: Grief gave way to a guilt which gnawed at him. (BNC)
Membership: figurative contact; reaction; cognition; emotion as subject
Semantic fields and roles: Field: Cognition Roles: NP1: Phenomenon-Thought; NP2: Emoter
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