Roleset prevent.01 Verbnet Class: NONE "stop, prevent":

Roles:

Arg0:Agent


Arg1:Theme (action or object being prevented)


Arg2:secondary predication or action


Arg3:instrument

Examples:

simple transitive (-)
She wanted *trace* to prevent the damage to self-esteem that her low-ability students would suffer from doing badly on the test.
Arg0:	*trace*=She
REL:	prevent
Arg1:	the damage to self-esteem that her low-ability students would suffer from doing badly on the test




secondary predicate (-)
Lawyers seek *trace-1* to prevent the client from *trace-2* committing a criminal act.
Arg0:	*trace-1*=Lawyers
REL:	prevent
Arg1:	the client
Arg2-from:	*trace-2* committing a criminal act.




with instrument (-)
We could prevent many of these fatalities with minimum roof-crush standards.
Arg0:	We
Argm-MOD:	could
REL:	prevent
Arg1:	many of these fatalities
Arg3-with:	minimum roof-crush standards.

Note that the instrument can appear in subject position as well ("Minumum roof-crush standards could prevent many of these fatalities.") This means there is a de facto intentionality or animacy criterion for agenthood.