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Attempt_means [agentive]
An Agent attempts to achieve a Goal using some Means.
John tried using a crowbar to open the door.
They tried opening the window in order to rob the store.
Very frequently, an entity involved in a Means action stands in for the Means, and similarly a Goal may be metonymically expressed with an entity related to a Goal situation:
John tried a crowbar on the door.
They tried the window in order to rob the store.
Unlike the Attempt frame, the Means is focused upon, and the Goal is often implicit. This frame answers the question of how something is to be attempted, rather than what is being attempted. The frames can be most reliably distinguished by paraphrasing a sentence with "give X a try", since "give try" belongs only in this frame.
John tried using a crowbar to open the door.
They tried opening the window in order to rob the store.
Very frequently, an entity involved in a Means action stands in for the Means, and similarly a Goal may be metonymically expressed with an entity related to a Goal situation:
John tried a crowbar on the door.
They tried the window in order to rob the store.
Unlike the Attempt frame, the Means is focused upon, and the Goal is often implicit. This frame answers the question of how something is to be attempted, rather than what is being attempted. The frames can be most reliably distinguished by paraphrasing a sentence with "give X a try", since "give try" belongs only in this frame.
Properties
- ID
- #2132
- Entry
- frm_attempt_means
- Namespace
- Eventive.Agentive
- FrameNet version
- Attempt_means (fn_1.7_2023)
- Domains
- —
- Types
- —
- Ontological type
- —
- English name
- Attempt_means
Core Frame Elements (2)
| Frame element | Definition | Semantic type | Constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent |
The Agent makes an attempt to achieve a Goal.
Dana tried a crowbar. |
category
sentient
|
— |
| Means |
This FE identifies the Means by which an attempt occurs.
Dana tried using a crowbar. |
category
state_of_affairs
|
— |
Core Unexpressed Frame Elements (1)
| Frame element | Definition | Semantic type | Constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal |
The Goal is what the Agent attempts to achieve.
John tried using a crowbar to enter the locked door. |
— | — |
Peripheral Frame Elements (5)
| Frame element | Definition | Semantic type | Constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree |
This FE identifies the Degree to which an attempt occurs.
|
category
degree
|
— |
| Manner |
The Manner in which the Agent makes the attempt.
He quietly|man tried the crowbar. |
category
manner
|
— |
| Place |
The place where an attempt is made.
On the bridge he tried the crowbar. |
category
locative_relation
|
— |
| Purpose |
The reason for which the Agent attempts the Goal.
|
— | — |
| Time |
This FE identifies the Time when the attempt occurs.
|
category
time
|
— |
Extra-thematic Frame Elements (7)
| Frame element | Definition | Semantic type | Constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circumstances |
The state of the world (at a particular time and place) which is independent of the the attempt of the Agent to achieve the Goal.
|
— | — |
| Depictive |
The Depictive is a phrase which describes the Agent.
|
— | — |
| Domain |
Note: this FE might not be in frame. It is temporarily here during the early stage of annotation. (JGK)
The area of work to which the Attempt event belongs. |
— | — |
| Duration |
The time peiod over which the attempts take place.
|
category
duration
|
— |
| Frequency |
This FE denotes the number of times an event is attempted per some unit of time.
|
— | — |
| Outcome |
Note: this FE might not be in frame. It is temporarily here during the early stage of annotation. (JGK)
The Outcome is the failure or success of an attempt to achieve a Goal. He tried the back door but it was firmly bolted. |
— | — |
| Particular_iteration |
Expressions marked with this extra-thematic FE modify a non-iterative use of the target, and indicate that it is conceived as embedded within an iterated series of similar events or states. In addition, most expressions of Particular_iteration indicate which instance of the series is being referred to.
|
— | — |
Frame-Frame Relations (3)
Inheritance
Perspective
See_also
Lexical Units (2)
| LU | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| give try.v | — | FN: attempt to use (something) for some (usually unmentioned) purpose. [Usage: try must be indefinite, but may be singular or plural; give is not passivizable.] |
| try.v | — | FN: make an attempt using some means |
None.
None.
No visual units
This frame has no visual-unit images.