Roleset break.01 Verbnet Class: 1 "break, cause to not be whole":

Roles:

Arg0:breaker


Arg1:thing broken


Arg2:instrument


Arg3:pieces

Examples:

just transitive (-)
Stock prices rallied as the Georgia-Pacific bid broke the market's recent gloom.
Arg0:	the Georgia-Pacific bid
REL:	broke
Arg1:	the market's recent gloom




with instrument (-)
John broke the window with a rock.
Arg0:	John
REL:	broke
Arg1:	the window
Arg2-with:	a rock




with pieces (-)
John broke the window into a million pieces.
Arg0:	John
REL:	broke
Arg1:	the window
Arg3-into:	a million pieces




inchoative (-)
The window broke into a million pieces.
Arg1:	The window
REL:	broke
Arg3-into:	a million pieces

Inchoative need not include the pieces argument.

Roleset break.02 Verbnet Class: NONE "as a robbery":

Roles:

Arg0:robber


Arg1:thing broken into

Examples:

not exactly a robbery (-)
All of Japan's so-called Big Four securities firms have suffered setbacks in their attempts *trace* to break into foreign markets.
Arg0:	*trace* -> All of Japan's so-called Big Four securities firms
REL:	break
Arg1-into:	foreign markets

Roleset break.03 Verbnet Class: 1 "break off: cause to cease":

Roles:

Arg0:causer, agent


Arg1:thing stopping

Examples:

agentive (-)
Ford Motor Co. and Saab-Scania AB of Sweden broke off talks about a possible alliance after Ford officials concluded that the cost to modernize Saab's car operations would outweigh the likely return.
Arg0:	Ford Motor Co. and Saab-Scania AB of Sweden
REL:	[ broke] [ off]
Arg1:	talks about a possible alliance
ArgM-TMP:	after Ford officials concluded that the cost to modernize Saab's car operations would outweigh the likely return




ergative (-)
Doug Hammond, the federal mediator in Seattle, where Boeing is based, said the parties will continue to sit down daily until a new settlement proposal emerges or the talks break off again.
Arg1:	the talks
REL:	[ break] [ off]
ArgM-TMP:	again

Roleset break.04 Verbnet Class: 1 "break off: snap off pieces":

Roles:

Arg0:breaker


Arg1:piece(s)


Arg2:whole

Examples:

all args (-)
John broke off a twig from the tree.
Arg0:	John
REL:	broke off
Arg1:	a twig
Arg2-from:	the tree

Note that the "off" can migrate: John broke a twig off the tree.

Roleset break.05 Verbnet Class: 1 "break in: cause to be not-new":

Roles:

Arg0:causative agent


Arg1:thing getting broken in

Examples:

new shoes (-)
John worked for a week *trace* to break in his new ballet slippers.
Arg0:	*trace* -> John
REL:	break in
Arg1:	his new ballet slippers

Roleset break.06 Verbnet Class: 1 "break out: introduce":

Roles:

Arg0:introducer


Arg1:thing introduced

Examples:

this is a weird usage (-)
The company didn't break out its fourth-quarter results.
Arg0:	The company
ArgM-NEG:	n't
REL:	[ break] [ out]
Arg1:	its fourth-quarter results




party time (-)
John broke out the bubbly.
Arg0:	John
REL:	broke out
Arg1:	the bubbly

Roleset break.07 Verbnet Class: 1 "break out: acne":

Roles:

Arg1:teenager

Examples:

poor John (-)
The very day of class pictures, John broke out.
Argm-TMP:	The very day of class pictures
Arg0:	John
REL:	broke out

Somehow I doubt this will appear in WSJ.

Roleset break.10 Verbnet Class: NONE "break out: escape":

Roles:

Arg0:escapee


Arg1:prison, etc

Examples:

person: ns tense: ns aspect: progressive voice: active form: participle
I think that's the right way to analyze that.

figurative (-)
``December delivery gold is trading in a range of $365 to $375 (an ounce) and is having difficulty [*] breaking out above that,'' Mr. Savaiko said.
Arg0:	[*] -> December delivery gold
REL:	breaking out
Arg1-above:	that

Roleset break.08 Verbnet Class: 1 "break up: (cause to) not be in one piece":

Roles:

Arg0:causative agent


Arg1:thing in pieces


Arg2:pieces

Examples:

passive (-)
One trial balloon Mr. Spiegel is said to have floated to investors : Columbia might be broken up *trace*, as Mellon Bank was split into a good bank and a bad bank.
ArgM-MOD:	might
REL:	[ broken] [ up]
Arg1:	*trace* -> Columbia
ArgM-MNR:	as Mellon Bank was split into a good bank and a bad bank




passive with pieces (-)
Mr. Icahn has said he believes USX would be worth more if *trace* broken up *trace* into steel and energy segments.
Arg1:	*trace* -> *trace* -> USX
REL:	[ broken] [ up]
Arg2-into:	steel and energy segments




active (-)
John broke the window up into a zillion pieces.
Arg0:	John
REL:	broke up
Arg1:	the window
Arg2-into:	a zillion pieces

End-of-romantic-relationship can also fit into this roleset as an ergative.

Roleset break.09 Verbnet Class: NONE "break even: not win, not lose":

Roles:

Arg1:patient

Examples:

break even (-)
Old Stone repeated projections that it will be profitable for the fourth quarter and will about break even for the year.
Arg1:	it
ArgM-MOD:	will
ArgM-DIS:	about
REL:	[ break] [ even]
ArgM-TMP:	for the year