On the Semantic Extension of the English Verb Make

Abstract

The English verb make has many usages and meanings. In “They made their flat into a beautiful home,” make means ‘to change something so that it becomes a different thing,’ while in “The smoke made him cough,” make means ‘to cause someone to do or feel something.’ 　I attempt to examine whether meanings and usages of make have some coherent semantic features on the basis of the properties which sentences with SVO construction have：⑴ There is a single specific agent and a single specific patient. ⑵ The agent has a “plan.” ⑶ The agent touches the patient either with his body or an instrument. ⑷ The change of state is physical., and others. 　I hope that the attempt made in this paper will contribute to teaching and learning basic English verbs.