Complete Verb Hierarchy

[jmccrae]

The verb hierarchy at the moment is quite incomplete, with many verbs that could have obvious troponyms (verb hypernyms) do not have them.

This issue aims to create a hierarchy with three top verbs as follows

• act, do defined as "perform an action" using the existing synset oewn-02372362-v. This covers most verbs (91.8%) and describes any action performed by an agent with some temporal aspect (including a fixed start and/or end point or a regular habitual action)
• be defined as "have a particular state, attribute or quality" using the synset oewn-02610777-v. The covers all states including equality, existence etc.
• happen, go on, pass, occur, fall out, pass off, hap, take place, come about defined as "come to pass" covering events without a (mentioned) agent.

I have a working proposal for this, and rough sketch of the completed verb hierarchy is as follows (number in brackets refer to the number of hyponym synsets).

• act, do (12447)
  • induce, stimulate, cause, have, get, make (4873)
    • change, alter, modify (1834)
      • better, improve, amend, ameliorate, meliorate (130)
        • fancify, beautify, embellish, prettify (54)
          • groom, neaten (44)
      • discontinue, stop, cease, give up, quit, lay off (105)
        • prevent, keep (68)
      • affect, impact, bear upon, bear on, touch on, touch (94)
        • process, treat (39)
      • end, terminate (76)
      • decrease, lessen, minify (73)
      • decorate, adorn, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify (54)
      • mark (52)
      • increase (50)
      • adjust, set, correct (49)
      • fill, fill up, make full (48)
      • indispose (47)
        • hurt (38)
      • convert (41)
      • shape, form (38)
    • move, displace (1060)
      • put, set, place, pose, position, lay (215)
        • arrange, set up (60)
      • transfer (181)
        • convey, transmit, communicate (160)
          • communicate, pass on, pass, pass along, put across (159)
            • request, ask for, bespeak, call for, quest (136)
              • ask (75)
                • request (73)
                  • order, tell, enjoin, say (38)
      • separate, disunite, divide, part (132)
        • cut (103)
      • propel, impel (107)
        • hit (58)
      • transport, carry (35)
    • make, create (886)
      • re-create, recreate (136)
        • represent, interpret (40)
      • arouse, elicit, enkindle, kindle, evoke, fire, raise, provoke (109)
        • stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir (40)
      • create from raw material, create from raw stuff (106)
        • shape, form, work, mold, mould, forge (38)
      • produce, make, create (73)
        • reproduce (38)
      • cause, do, make (72)
      • decide, make up one's mind, determine (62)
        • choose, take, select, pick out (41)
      • affect, impress, move, strike (44)
      • create by mental act, create mentally (43)
      • show (36)
    • transfer (522)
      • give (450)
        • supply, provide, render, furnish, offer (218)
          • treat, care for (60)
        • pay (81)
          • spend, expend, drop (49)
        • provide, supply, ply, cater (72)
      • exchange, change, interchange (35)
    • cause to be perceived (121)
      • sound, go (90)
    • keep, maintain, hold (114)
      • prevent, forestall, foreclose, preclude, forbid (83)
        • restrain, keep, keep back, hold back (39)
    • give (74)
      • support, back up (40)
    • kill (51)
  • change (1453)
    • change state, turn (300)
      • become, go, get (107)
        • perceive, comprehend (59)
    • change magnitude (216)
      • increase (149)
        • grow (71)
          • develop (36)
      • decrease, diminish, lessen, fall (60)
    • change integrity (168)
      • break, separate, split up, fall apart, come apart (35)
    • change shape, change form, deform (78)
    • change by reversal, turn, reverse (54)
      • undo (35)
    • change surface (54)
    • discolor, discolour, colour, color (37)
  • interact (1239)
    • communicate, intercommunicate (1063)
      • inform (668)
        • tell (485)
          • impart, leave, give, pass on (417)
            • convey (416)
              • express, show, evince (394)
                • express, verbalize, verbalise, utter, give tongue to (259)
                  • state, say, tell (180)
                  • declare (93)
                  • promise, assure (38)
                  • note, observe, mention, remark (45)
                  • comment, notice, remark, point out (42)
                  • knock, criticize, criticise, pick apart (39)
                • utter, emit, let out, let loose (90)
      • talk, speak, utter, mouth, verbalize, verbalise (161)
        • talk of, talk about (54)
          • hash out, discuss, talk over (52)
      • talk, speak (42)
    • treat, handle, do by (67)
      • wrong (39)
        • victimize, victimise (36)
  • change, alter, vary (1105)
    • travel, go, move, locomote (714)
      • enter, come in, get into, get in, go into, go in, move into (83)
        • penetrate, perforate (58)
      • walk (54)
      • leave, go forth, go away (49)
      • travel (44)
        • ride (40)
      • descend, fall, go down, come down (42)
      • come, come up (39)
    • move (334)
      • turn (49)
      • dance, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe (40)
  • think, cogitate, cerebrate (561)
    • evaluate, pass judgment, judge (354)
      • think, believe, consider, conceive (105)
        • see, consider, reckon, view, regard (97)
          • analyze, analyse, study, examine, canvass (54)
      • declare, adjudge, hold (45)
      • measure, evaluate, valuate, assess, appraise, value (40)
      • reject (36)
    • reason (77)
      • calculate, cipher, cypher, compute, work out, reckon, figure (41)
  • connect, link, tie, link up (266)
    • attach (170)
      • fasten, fix, secure (99)
    • join, conjoin (53)
  • get, acquire (230)
    • take, get hold of (57)
      • seize, prehend, clutch, take hold, take hold of (48)
    • obtain (44)
  • remove, take, take away, withdraw (208)
  • touch (198)
    • handle, palm (53)
      • manipulate (49)
    • strike (38)
    • hit (37)
  • cover (189)
    • coat, surface (65)
  • use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ (152)
    • exert, exercise (95)
      • control, command (94)
        • manage, deal, care, handle (42)
  • prosecute, engage, pursue (139)
    • compete, vie, contend (86)
      • play (60)
  • feel, experience (110)
  • get rid of, remove (109)
    • obviate, rid of, eliminate (52)
      • exhaust, discharge, expel, eject, release (50)
  • contend, fight, struggle (97)
    • attack, assail (36)
  • react, respond (93)
    • accept, consent, go for (65)
      • permit, allow, let, countenance (51)
  • consume, ingest, take in, take, have (86)
  • spread, distribute (74)
    • emit, give out, give off (35)
  • touch, adjoin, meet, contact (68)
    • surround, environ, ring, skirt, border (37)
  • win (65)
    • get the better of, overcome, defeat (57)
      • beat, beat out, crush, shell, trounce, vanquish (43)
  • determine, set (56)
    • identify, place (35)
  • act, behave, do (55)
  • confirm, corroborate, sustain, substantiate, support, affirm (48)
  • appoint, charge (43)
  • agree, hold, concur, concord (40)
  • perform, execute, do (39)
  • reach, make, attain, hit, arrive at, gain (38)
  • take (38)
  • exert (36)
• be (1064)
  • have, have got, hold (335)
    • keep, hold on (178)
      • save, preserve (84)
        • record, enter, put down (81)
      • deny, refuse (55)
        • withhold, keep back (54)
          • deprive (47)
    • know, cognize, cognise (46)
      • understand (42)
  • be (93)
  • look (81)
    • look (79)
      • watch (54)
        • observe (43)
          • examine, see (35)
  • equal, be (36)
• happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place (36)