work-v; 9 Senses

Sense Number 1: exert oneself in an activity

Commentary: Syntax is: NP[animate] WORK (NP) Includes: WORK AT, WORK ON

Examples:
He is working hard to bring up his grade.
They worked on a farm growing up.
Her fingers worked with incredible speed.
She worked at the algebra problems until she'd solved them all.
At the end of sentence, he had worked off his debt to society.
Please be quiet while I work on the taxes.
Let's work through this problem together.

Mappings:
VerbNet: work-73.2,cooperate-73-3
FrameNet: Working_on
PropBank: work.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1, 6, 10, 12
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
work_through 1
work_on 1, 2
work_at 1

Sense Number 2: perform, function, behave

Examples:
How will the parachute actually work when deployed?
This old radio doesn't work anymore.
That drug has worked miracles for those with arthritis.

Mappings:
VerbNet: function-105.2-1
FrameNet: Being_operational,Usefulness,
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3, 4, 11

Sense Number 3: shape, form, handle

Commentary: Includes: WORK IN

Examples:
The artist taught them to work different kinds of clay.
We'll have to work this hard soil a lot before planting lettuce.
The dough should work easily when kneading.
He gradually worked the metal into a sword.
Work the dough until it is smooth and glossy.
Next, work in the butter.
Try to work some jokes into your speech.

Mappings:
VerbNet: knead-26.5
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: work.07
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 5, 13, 14, 20, 22
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
work_in 1

Sense Number 4: proceed, move, position

Examples:
I worked my way carefully around the broken glass.
Start from the bottom and work towards the top.
Slowly we worked the big rock onto the flatbed of the truck.
The screw worked free.
He knows how to work himself out of a jam.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: work.06
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 7, 9, 21, 27

Sense Number 5: control, exploit, act upon, operate

Examples:
The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy.
Politicians know how to work a crowd.
You've got to learn how to work the system.
We'll work the phones tonight for the fund raiser.
Can you work an electric drill?
Don't work those children so hard.
They work us hard in that gym class.

Mappings:
VerbNet: use-105.1
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 6, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23

Sense Number 6: be an employee

Examples:
Those men will work for minimum wage.
The salesman works the Midwest.
She works at IBM.
Do you work for the government?
Smith works as a chemist.

Mappings:
VerbNet: employment-95.3
FrameNet: Being_employed
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2, 8

Sense Number 7: ferment

Examples:
The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats.
The wine worked.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 25, 26

Sense Number 8: solve, figure out

Examples:
He couldn't work the second problem on the test.
They worked out a plan that should succeed.
The fees work out to less than $100.

Mappings:
VerbNet: discover-84
FrameNet: Coming_to_believe,Resolve_problem
PropBank: work.02
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 24
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
work_out 1, 3, 5, 6, 7

Sense Number 9: idioms

Commentary: Includes: WORK OUT, WORK OVER, WORK UP

Examples:
Don't worry. Things will all work out in the end.
He works out at the gym every day.
Those thugs worked him over pretty bad and now he's in the hospital.
I've really worked up an appetite.
The team worked up an ad for the client in record time.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: work.02,work.03,work.04
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
work_over 1
work_out 2, 4, 8
work_up 1, 2, 3, 4