'V n to n' - Construction 11
| Name: | the frighten someone to death construction |
|---|---|
| Description: | A person or entity causes the death of someone. The NP following the verb indicates the person who dies. The NP following 'to' is 'death'. |
| Verbs: | e.g. batter, beat, blast, bore, burn, choke, club, crush, frighten, gore, kick, knife, peck, scare, shoot, spear, stab, torture |
| Example: | I started a coughing fit … which frightened them to death. (enTenTen20) |
| Membership: | action; change; literal |
| Semantic fields and roles: |
Field: Change.
Roles: NP1: Agent; NP2: Affected; NP3: Outcome
Field: Equivalence. Roles: NP1: Causer; NP2: Carrier; NP3: Attribute |