Passages used in Experiments 2 and 4.

These are the passages used in Experiments 2 and 4. They are organized as follows. Both versions of each passage are presented, followed by the critical sentences. In cases where each version of the passage had its own set of critical sentences, the sentences are presented directly after each passage. In all cases, the critical sentence on top is in the double object form, and the sentence on the bottom is in the transitive form.

John was backstage after the jazz concert. He was waiting to meet his hero, Blind Willie, the great saxophone player. When Willie arrived, he noted that John looked down. He wanted to do something to make him laugh. Hiding behind a chair, Blind Willie took the mouthpiece off his instrument and lifted the bell of his saxophone into plain view. He began to relate an anecdote by speaking through the open end of the sax.

John really liked jazz music. He thought that the musicians could tell stories and express rich feelings with their instruments. Needless to say, he jumped at the chance to see Blind Willie, the great saxophone player, when he came to Madison. On the day of the show, John was feeling down, and hoped that Blind Willie would play something to lift his bad mood. That night, Willie saw JohnÕs sad expression while he played on-stage.

Blind Willie saxophoned John a happy story to cheer him up.

Blind Willie saxophoned a happy story to cheer John up.

Art and Jim lived next to one another and were the best of friends. They had even rigged up telegraph keys between their bedrooms to tell jokes late into the night using Morse code. Because Art was always tired in the morning and late to school, his parents took away the telegraph key. But, Art wouldn't be deterred that easily. Late that night he took to his room the cat's squeaky toy mouse. He opened his window and waited until it was quiet outside.

Then, Art moused Jim a joke to make him laugh.

Then, Art moused a joke to make Jim laugh.

It had been three days since Doug and his boat had been thrown onto the deserted island by the hurricane. He was getting desperate to get off the lonely refuge. Just then, he heard the sounds of planes approaching. Doug needed to get their attention, but how? He scoured the debris brought by the hurricane to the beach. He found bottle of wine. Doug dumped out the contents of the bottle. Finally, Doug used the empty bottle to reflect the sun's light to the plane.

It had been three days since Doug and his boat had been thrown onto the deserted island by the hurricane. He was getting desperate to get off the lonely refuge. He scoured the debris brought by the hurricane to the beach. He found bottle of wine. He then carefully peeled off the label. Doug walked over to the fire and pulled a stick out. Then he wrote an SOS on the back of the label. Doug dumped out the contents of the bottle, put his note in it and corked it. Finally, Doug throw the bottle into the ocean.

Doug bottled his would-be rescuers a message so they could find him.

Doug bottled a message so his would-be rescuers could find him.

Sally was very excited. She promised one of her co-workers, Pete, that she would bring him a fish to keep on his desk. The fish would be good company for him on days when he worked late. Today, she went to the pet store and bought a fish, put the fish in a plastic bag, and placed it in her purse. Sally then walked to work.

Every day on the bus, Sally saw her friend Pete who complained how lonely he was since his pet fish died. In an effort to make him happy, she bought Pete a goldfish and tried to take it to him on the bus. The driver, however, would not let her bring the fish onto the bus. The next day, Sally put the fish in a plastic bag, and put this bag into her purse. She walked to the bus stop.

Sally pursed Pete the fish to keep him company.

Sally pursed the fish to keep Pete company.

Rick and Todd were hiking in the woods. On the ground were a number of thin branches that had fallen from the trees during the previous nightÕs storm. As a joke, Rick tripped Todd, who fell hard to the ground. Todd was not amused. He grabbed one of the branches from the ground and lashed out at Rick.

Todd branched Rick a scratch to get back at him.

Todd branched a scratch to get back at Rick.

Rick and Todd were hiking in the woods. On the ground were a number of thin branches that had fallen from the trees during the previous nightÕs storm. There were also some spiders and other insects crawling around the branched. Knowing that Rick fears spiders, Todd decided to play a joke on him. He grabbed a branch off the ground, and held a spider on it.

Todd branched Rick a spider to scare him.

Todd branched a spider to scare Rick.

Paul and Bill were fishing on opposite sides of a stream. Paul was having a lot of success catching fish, but Bill was not. Bill asked Paul if he could borrow one of his lures for luck. Paul agreed. He pulled a lure from his tackle box and taped it to a small rock. ÒHere you go,Ó Paul said.

Paul and Bill were fishing by the lake. Paul was sitting on a pier, while Bill was standing in the water below. Seeing that Paul was doing much better catching fish, Bill asked if he could borrow a lure for luck. Paul agreed, but worried that if he dropped the lure to Bill, the wind would blow it out onto the lake. Paul taped the lure to a small rock that was beside him. ÒHere you go,Ó he said.

Paul rocked Bill the lure to help him out.

Paul rocked the lure to help Bill out.

David and Mike were being punished for their bad behavior earlier in the day. They pulled a prank, and completely ruined MikeÕs sisterÕs birthday party. Now, the two friends were confined to their own back yards, separated by a tall fence. Suddenly, Mike realized that he still had one of DavidÕs toys, one that David needed to return to his cousin today. Mike tied the toy to one of the helium balloons that remained from the party. Without his parents seeing, he crept over to the fence.

Mike ballooned David the toy to help him out.

Mike ballooned the toy to help David out. David and Mike were playing a spy game. As part of this game, they needed to pass toys and messages back and forth, without their parents noticing. David was sitting at the kitchen table before their sisterÕs birthday party when Mike saw his chance to pass a toy to him. Grabbing an uninflated balloon, he stuffed the toy inside. He then blew some air into the balloon and tied the mouth shut. He waited until his parents werenÕt looking. Mike ballooned David the toy to continue the game.

Mike ballooned the toy to continue the game with David.

Halloween was approaching, and Mina wanted to give Larry a surprise. She knew that he liked chocolate, and so she bought him a few small pieces of candy. Mina knew that the candy would please him. At a meeting that afternoon, Mina placed the candy on the table, and, with an envelope in her hand, pushed the candy towards Larry.

Halloween was approaching, and Mina wanted to give Larry a surprise. She knew that he liked chocolate, and so she bought him a few small pieces of candy. Mina knew that the candy would please him. She walked to LarryÕs office mailbox with the candy and a large envelope. She opened the mailbox.

Mina enveloped Larry some chocolate to make him smile.

Mina enveloped some chocolate to make Larry smile.

I have been watching some of the construction of the new chemistry building across the street. One of the first things they did was to erect a multi-story crane to transport stuff around the site. Earlier today I saw a mason put up the hollow forms for pouring a cement wall on the fourth floor. While the formwork was being completed, the crane operator lowered a huge bucket in the vicinity of a cement truck. The truck pulled a bit closer and filled the bucket.

A heavy equipment operator was working in the yard of the main office refueling the various pieces of self-transporting equipment. He got a call from his boss on the cell phone describing an emergency. The mason at a high-priority site had run out of cement in the middle of a delicate building operation. The operator quickly mixed up the cement from the supply in the yard.

Then, the operator craned the mason the cement to help him out.

Then, the operator craned the cement to help the mason out.

Jeb the farm boy and princess Gwenda had a secret affair. They met because Gwenda had horseback riding lessons in the same barn where Jeb stored his plow. Jeb often would put flowers on his tractor for Gwenda, which she liked very much, and a romance blossomed. When the king discovered their relationship, he forbade them to ever unite again. Alas, the nearest Jeb could get to his beloved was the field in the valley beneath the castle. He wished very much to send her a message that he still cared for her, and it was only her father's wrath that kept him from coming to her tower.

Jeb tractored Gwenda a message to reassure her.

Jeb tractored a message to reassure Gwenda.

Duncan was playing with his Tonka truck in the livingroom when his mother asked him to bring her his laundry. Needless to say, he wasn't crazy about quitting playing to tidy up. Grudgingly, he gathered his clothes. For fun he put them in his Tonka truck.

Duncan, like many little boys, preferred to keep his room somewhat untidy. His mom permitted it, rather than nag him all the time to clean it up. The only constraint she gave was that he had to make it clear to her which pile of clothes on the floor was the pile that needed laundering. She reminded Duncan of that while he was playing with his Tonka trucks.

Duncan Tonkaed mom his laundry to appease her.

Duncan Tonkaed his laundry to appease his mom.

Mary and Pauline were baking cookies in the kitchen. They were having a lot of fun, laughing and joking about the wild days they spent together in college. Mary, who had moved into the living room, asked Pauline for a sample of the cookie dough. Pauline smiled and picked up a spatula. She put the dough on the end of the spatula and walked towards Mary.

Mary and Pauline were baking cookies in the kitchen. They were having a lot of fun, laughing and joking about the wild days they spent together in college. Mary, who had moved into the living room, asked Pauline for a sample of the cookie dough. Pauline smiled mischievously and picked up a spatula. She put the dough on the end of the spatula and bent it backwards. She then aimed towards the living room. Pauline spatulaed Mary the cookie dough to meet her request.

Pauline spatulaed the cookie dough to meet MaryÕs request.

George wanted to ask his co-worker Lydia out on a data for a long time. He was nervous, though, and afraid of rejection. One day, he thought of a plan to ask Lydia for a date without being nervous. He composed a note asking for a date and wrote it on a piece of paper. When Lydia left for lunch, he walked over to her desk. To his delight, the binder that held the work Lydia was to do that afternoon was on top of her desk. George reached into LydiaÕs desk, found a hole puncher, and punched three holes along the edge of the note. Then, he replaced the puncher and picked up the binder.

George wanted to ask his co-worker Lydia out on a data for a long time. He was nervous, though, and afraid of rejection. One day, he thought of a plan to ask Lydia for a date without being nervous. He composed a note asking for a date and walked over to LydiaÕs desk when she went for lunch. George wanted to leave the note on top of her desk, but a fan was blowing, and he feared that it would knock the note off her desk. George then found the binder that contained the work that Lydia needed to do that afternoon, and slid the note under it.

George bindered Lydia the note so he could ask for a date.

George bindered the note so he could ask Lydia for a date.

Lois was on the second floor of her burning house. As the fire grew, she became trapped in her baby's nursery. Lois yelled for help, refusing to leave her baby. Just then, neighbors arrived beneath her window, telling her to throw down her baby and then save herself. Lois did not want to injury her baby, so she looked around the room. She spied the baby's carrier and several blankets. Lois's maternal instincts took over and she placed her baby in the carrier. Then, she tied several blankets together, end to end. Finally, she tied the end of the blankets to the carrier. Lois walked over to the window, looked at the neighbors, and said a prayer.

Lois was on the second floor of her burning house. As the fire grew, she became trapped in her baby's nursery. Lois yelled for help, refusing to leave her baby. Just then, neighbors arrived beneath her window, telling her to throw down her baby and then save herself. Lois did not want to injury her baby, so she looked around the room. She spied several blankets in the corner of the room. Lois made a sling-like construction with the blanket and placed her baby inside. Then, she held the sling and leaned as far out the window as she could.

Lois blanketed the neighbors her baby to save his life.

Lois blanketed her baby to get him to the neighbors.

An old man was sitting on a park bench near a pond feeding some birds with popcorn. He noticed a boy and his mother fighting on the other side of the pond. The boy apparently wanted some popcorn, but his mother would not buy it for him. He threatened to throw a tantrum if his demands werenÕt met. The old man felt sorry for the boy, and hated to see parents and children fighting. He dropped some popcorn an empty plastic coffee cup that he had with him. The old man then walked to the shore of the pond, placed the cup into the water, and launched the cup toward the boy.

An old man was sitting on a park bench next to a boy and his mother. The two were in a quarrel. Apparently, the boy wanted some popcorn, but his mother would not buy it for him. The old man, who had been feeding some birds, felt sorry for the boy, and disliked seeing parents and children fighting. The boy threatened to throw a tantrum if his demands werenÕt met. When the mother wasnÕt looking, the old man dropped some of the popcorn he had been feeding the birds in his empty coffee cup, and gently pushed it towards the boy.

The old man cupped the boy some popcorn to calm him down.

The old man cupped some popcorn to calm the boy down.

Tom and Lyn competed on different baseball teams. After the game, Tom, who had been pitching, was kidding her about striking out three times. Lyn said, "It was an aberration! I was distracted by your ugly face. I can hit anything to any field using anything!" To prove it, she took her apple over to manager who was recovering from a twisted ankle, and she grabbed his crutch.

Lyn crutched Tom her apple to prove her point.

Lyn crutched her apple to prove her point to Tom.

Tom and Lyn had made a bad miscalculation. Because they are U.S. citizens they thought they could protest civil rights abuses in the dictatorship. But now they were being held incommunicado in a prison dungeon. Lyn was beaten so badly that she needed a crutch to help her to walk. Because the mortar between the bricks was crumbling, Tom and Lyn were able to create a long, narrow crevice in the three-foot wall separating the cells. Lyn learned that Tom was being deprived of food in an effort to get him to reveal other members of their human rights group. Lyn tried shove a piece of apple through the crevice, but the wall was too wide, and her arm couldnÕt reach through it. Then she got an idea.

Lyn crutched Tom her apple so he wouldn't starve.

Lyn crutched her apple so Tom wouldnÕt starve.

Erik was up late one night studying for the MCAT. Just then, his new kitty had meowed at him, breaking his concentration. Erik felt bad because lately he had not be able to play with his cat. In his guilt, he looked around the room. Erik found a long piece of string and tied it to a styrofoam ball. Then, he pulled his chair up to his ceiling fan and tied the other end of the string to the fan blade. Erik turned on the fan.

Erik was up late one night studying for the MCAT. Just then, his new kitty had meowed at him, breaking his concentration. Erik felt bad because lately he had not be able to play with his cat. In his guilt, he looked around the room. Erik found a styrofoam ball and a fan. He place then on the opposite side of the room from the cat on the floor. Erik turned on the fan.

Erik fanned his cat the ball to entertain him.

Erik fanned the ball to entertain his cat.

MaureenÕs sister had locked herself in the bathroom and covered her head with a towel. Her sister was very upset over a breakup with her boyfriend, and refused to talk to or listen to anyone. Just then, a new boy called on the phone. Her sister refused to come near the door to hear the news, so Maureen scribbled the message on an old postcard. She crouched down by the bathroom door.

Maureen postcarded her sister the message to keep her informed.

Maureen postcarded the message to keep her sister informed.

MaureenÕs sister had just moved to a new town, and did not have a phone yet. At the time of the move, however, Maureen gave birth to a baby boy. She really wanted to share the news with her sister, but could not think of a way to contact her. Then, she had an idea. Maureen bought a postcard from the hospital gift shop and wrote a message about the good news. She walked to the mailbox in the hospital lobby.

Maureen postcarded her sister the news to keep her informed.

Maureen postcarded the news to keep her sister informed.

Rachel worked as a secretary for a senior scientist at an engineering firm. The scientist had just received several packages in the mail that were quite heavy. Unfortunately, there was no cart around for Rachel to use to carry the mail to the scientist's office.

Rachel chaired the scientist his mail so he could open his packages.

Rachel chaired the mail so the scientist could open his packages.

Rachel worked as a secretary for a senior scientist at an engineering firm. The scientist was a bit odd, and only worked at night and on weekends. Before leaving one night, Rachel had some important mail that the scientist had to see. But the scientist's desk was so covered with papers she was afraid the mail would be missed. The only clear spot in the office was the chair. Rachel chaired the scientist the mail to be sure it wasn't missed.

Rachel chaired the mail to be sure the scientist didnÕt miss it.

Jareb and Adam were sitting across the room from each other. As usual, Jareb was playing his guitar, and Adam was trying to study. Adam had a big test the next day, and was growing impatient with JarebÕs distracting playing. Adam coughed and mumbled some comments about the noise bothering him, but Jareb ignored these. Finally, Adam could take the distraction no longer. He picked up a book from the table beside him and reared his arm back.

Adam booked Jareb his request to stop the guitar playing.

Adam booked his request for Jareb to stop the guitar playing. Jareb and Adam were sitting across the room from each other. As usual, Jareb was playing his guitar, and Adam was trying to study. Adam desperately wanted Jareb to stop playing, because he found the music distracting. To be polite about his request, Adam composed a short note and attached it to the cover of one of his books. He placed the book down on the hard wood floor and gave it a shove towards Jareb.

Adam booked Jareb the note to make his request.

Adam booked the note to make his request to Jareb.

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