Roleset improve.01 Verbnet Class: 1 "make better":

Roles:

Arg0:improver


Arg1:thing improving

Examples:

agentive (-)
...if they don't improve their protection of intellectual property by next spring.
Arg0:	they
Argm-NEG:	n't
REL:	improve
Arg1:	their protection of intellectual property
Argm-TMP:	by next spring




how? (-)
Taiwan has improved its standing with the US by initialing a bilateral copyright agreement.
Arg0:	Taiwan
REL:	improved
Arg1:	its standing with the US
Argm-MNR:	by initialing a bilateral copyright agreement.




ergative (-)
Business conditions will improve in the coming six months.
Arg1:	Business conditions
Argm-MOD:	will
REL:	improve
Argm-TMP:	in the coming six months




unstated thing improving (-)
Dow will improve on its year-ago fourth-quarter net of $3.44 a share.
Arg0:	Dow
Argm-MOD:	will
REL:	improve
Arg1-on:	its year-ago fourth-quarter net of $3.44 a share

I'm reading this as "Dow will improve its performance past its year-ago net". One could argue that this is a separate sense, but since only a slight paraphrase renders it into the "make better" sense, we'll leave it here for the moment. Do not tag adjectival usages like "the improved test scores".

Roleset improve.02 Verbnet Class: 1 "add, rise":

Roles:

Arg1:Logical subject, patient, thing rising


Arg2:EXT, amount risen


Arg3:start point


Arg4:end point


ArgM-LOC:medium

Examples:

should have seen this coming (-)
National Market System volume improved to 94,425,00 shares from 71.7 million Monday.
Arg1:	National Market System volume
REL:	improved
Arg4-to:	94,425,00 shares
Arg3-from:	71.7 million Monday.

There's also a nice example of the two senses merging: "Ekco [is] to improve on-time delivery of orders to about 95% from around 70%."