Roleset tell.01 Verbnet Class: 1 "pass along information":

Roles:

Arg0:Speaker


Arg1:Utterance


Arg2:Hearer

Examples:

ditransitive (-)
The score tell you what the characters are thinking and feeling.
Arg0:	The score
REL:	tell
Arg2:	you
Arg1:	what the characters are thinking and feeling




odd ditransitive (-)
What this tells us *trace* is that US trade law is working.
Arg0:	this
REL:	tells
Arg2:	us
Arg1:	*trace* is that US trade law is working




prepositional arg2 (-)
John told a story to Mary.
Arg0:	John
REL:	told
Arg1:	a story
Arg2-TO:	to Mary




fronted (-)
"Only Nixon could go to China," he told a group of Americans *trace*
Arg0:	he
REL:	told
Arg2:	a group of Americans
Arg1:	*trace=Only Nixon could go to China*

Roleset tell.02 Verbnet Class: 1 "distinguish, determine":

Roles:

Arg0:entity causing separation


Arg1:thing(s) being divided


Arg2:source, separated from, if separate from arg1

Examples:

person: ns tense: present aspect: ns voice: active form: full


merged objective args (-)
He says his team couldn't tell whether accounts receivable had been paid or not.
Arg0:	his team
ArgM-MOD:	could
ArgM-NEG:	n't
REL:	tell
Arg1:	whether accounts receivable had been paid or not

person: ns tense: ns aspect: ns voice: active form: full


all args (-)
John can't tell his head from his ass.
Arg0:	John
Argm-MOD:	ca
Argm-NEG:	n't
REL:	tell
Arg1:	his head
Arg2-from:	his ass

Roleset tell.03 Verbnet Class: NONE "squeal, be a tattletail":

Roles:

Arg0:stool pigeon


Arg1:alleged perpetrator

Examples:

person: ns tense: ns aspect: ns voice: ns form: ns


nobody likes a tattletail (-)
No one told on Ludie , not even when he slipped live grasshoppers into the mite-box [*T*-1] .
Arg0:	No one
REL:	[ told] [ on]
Arg1:	Ludie
ArgM-TMP:	not even when he slipped live grasshoppers into the mite-box [*T*-1]