Mapping to Objects and Events

(3) a. Argument Selection Principle In predicates with grammatical subject and object, the argument for which the predicate entails the greatest number of Proto-Agent properties will be lexicalized as the subject of the predicate; the argument having the greatest number of ProtoPatient properties will be lexicalized as the direct object. b. Corollary 1 If two arguments of a relation have (approximately) equal numbers of entailed PAgent and P-Patient properties, then either or both may be lexicalized as the subject (and similarly for objects). c. Corollary 2 With a three-place predicate, the nonsubject argument having the greatest number of entailed P-Patient properties will be lexicalized as the direct object and the nonsubject argument having fewer entailed P-Patient properties will be lexicalized as an oblique or prepositional object (and if two nonsubject arguments have approximately equal numbers of P-Patient properties, either or both may be DO).