Commentary: Syntax is: NP1[agent] TOUCH NP2[patient{concrete}]
NOTE: Feature of animacy (entailed by [agent]) includes body parts of animate beings as in example 5.
NOTE: Compare to Sense 4; in Sense 1 the object is CONCRETE. Compare carefully to Sense 2. In Sense 1, NP1 is an agent, but in Sense 2 NP1 is either a cotheme or theme.
Examples:
He touched her once and she turned into a golden creature.
Amanda touches all the yarn in the store every time she goes in.
They touched their fingertips together and smiled.
The stallion was never touched by human hands.
If Kendrick told his men that Santiago wasn't to be touched, then why did he have to be transferred?
Mosquitoes bit my friend all over but they barely touched me.
She's barely touched her dinner.
You haven't touched the oil paints I sent you last month!
The police can't touch me!
Mappings:
VerbNet: touch-20-1
FrameNet: Manipulation
PropBank: touch.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1, 2, 8, 11, 14
Commentary: Syntax includes: NP1[cotheme] TOUCH NP2[cotheme] NP1[theme[plural]] TOUCH NP2[patient]
NOTE: Compare to Sense 1: in Sense 2, the subject does NOT have agency in the action of touching. Also compare to Sense 4. Sense 2 involves physical touching, while in Sense 4 the object is abstract.
Examples:
The two buildings touch.
They sat so close that their arms touched.
The sunlight touched the wall.
The ball touched the ground and bounced 4 feet in the air.
The shadow of the building touched me as I walked underneath.
Mappings:
VerbNet: contiguous_location-47.8-1
FrameNet: Impact
PropBank: touch.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 5, 9
Commentary: Includes: TOUCH A CHORD, TOUCH A NERVE Syntax is: NP1[theme{abstract}] TOUCH NP2[patient{animate}]
NOTE: Also includes metaphorical instance wher both NPs are concrete (as in examples 1, 3, 4, 5).
Examples:
Her newest novel touched me.
The president's speech touched a chord with voters.
You really touched a nerve with that comment!
He touched many lives in his short time here on Earth.
Their hearts were touched with fire.
He was seen as a genuinely special politician, one who was touched with the mantle of greatness.
Mappings:
VerbNet: amuse-31.1
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: touch.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3, 6
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
touch_on 4
touch_a_chord 1
Commentary: Includes: TOUCH ON Syntax includes: NP1[theme{abstract}] TOUCH (ON) NP2[theme1] NP1[agent] TOUCH NP2[theme[abstract]]
NOTE: Compare to Senses 1 and 2; in Sense 4, the object is ABSTRACT
Examples:
They had wide-ranging discussions that touched on the situation in the Balkans.
His speech only touched on foreign policy issues.
She touched on the fact that the corn lobby has much to gain from
ethanol subsidies.
I wouldn't touch that topic with a ten-foot pole.
The local Mafia won't touch drug dealing.
Mappings:
VerbNet: relate-86.2-1
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: touch.04,touch.05
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 4, 7, 12
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
touch_on 1, 2
Examples:
Nothing can touch cotton for durability.
As soon as the temperature touches 75 degrees, they turn on the air conditioner.
The villains in this novel hatched plots that touched on the ludicrous.
Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 10
Commentary: Includes: TOUCH UP, TOUCH ON
Examples:
The jeweler touched the earrings with gold.
They always touch up the photos before publishing them in the
magazine.
Would you touch up the paint in the kitchen?
Excuse me, I need to touch up my make-up.
He touched on the paintings, trying to get the colors right.
Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: touch.03
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 15
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
touch_on 3
touch_up 1
Examples:
When you go to Washington, you should touch base with our US office.
Please touch base with your contact list about once a month.
Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
touch_base 1
Examples:
His plane finally touched down 6 hours late.
Japan's asteroid explorer, Hayabusa, touched down on the surface of the
asteroid Itokawa Saturday.
A weak tornado touched down briefly in northern Baltimore County.
Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: NM
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
touch_down 1
Examples:
A small fire was touched off in the boys' bathroom.
Her remarks touched off a heated debate.
The general almost touched off a civil war.
Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: touch.02,touch.06
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
touch_off 1