VerbNet.ca is a tool for linguists and word aficionados that allows you to find classes of verbs in VerbNet (Kipper, Dang, & Palmer, 2000) that match a particular set of keywords. To search using Verbnet.ca, simply type a few descriptive words and press enter. VerbNet.ca will find classes that contain your words in their descriptions.

After performing a search, you can read more about the classes you found by clicking on one of the tabs ("Verbs", "Frames", "Roles", and "All".)

Key Features

Example Queries:

QueryExplanation
lodgeFinds all verb classes that contain the keyword "lodge"
"9 2"Find all verb classes that contain the adjacent keywords "9" and "2" (e.g. 9.2)
9.2Alternative way of expressing the same thing
transitive intransitiveFinds all verb classes that support transitive and intransitive usage
"Agent[] VERB * Destination"Finds all verb classes that contain the adjacent keywords "agent", "verb", (anything), and "destination".

More Queries:

QueryExplanation
verb:lodgeFinds all verb classes that contain the verb "lodge"
class:"9 2"Find all verb classes that contain the adjacent keywords "9" and "2" (e.g. 9.2) in the class field
class:9.2Alternative way of expressing the same thing
frame:transitive frame:intransitiveFinds all verb classes that support transitive and intransitive usage
verb:y*Classes that contain verbs that start with y
role:agentClasses that have an "agent" role
exact:agent-verb-themeClasses that have a property which matches "agent verb theme" (Complete matches only)

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