VERBS IN RESULTATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS IMOLA-ÁGNES FARKAS University of Cluj-Napoca Abstract: The aim of the present paper is to analyze the type of verbs English and Romanian resultative constructions can be built on. The paper covers this domain from Vendler’s (1967) aspectual classification of verbs to Ramchand’s (2008) l-syntax analysis, shedding some light on the basic difference between English and Romanian resultatives. Key words: accomplishment-type verb, achievement-type verb, activity-type verb, event structure, l-syntax 1. Introduction Verbs, as argument-taking elements, show extremely complex sets of properties. As such, native speakers can make subtle judgments concerning the occurrence of verbs with a range of possible combinations of arguments and adjuncts in various syntactic expressions. For instance, speakers of English know which diathesis alternations verbs may participate in. In this sense, they know that verbs such as spray and load may express their arguments in two different ways, displaying the so-called locative alternation; but they also know that some verbs, like fill and cover, although apparently closely related to the previous verbs, do not allow both options. In the same way, speakers of English know whether a verb may participate in transitivity alternations found in English. There are verbs, like break and freeze, which allow both transitive and intransitive uses; this possibility, known as the causative-inchoative alternation, is not available for a verb like appear. Furthermore, the middle construction is available only to a certain semantically defined class of verbs: those whose meaning involves the notion of causing a change of state. There are restrictions also in the type of verbs resultative constructions can be built on. The present paper will analyze the difference between the types of verbs licensed in English and Romanian resultative constructions. The paper is organized as follows: in section 2, I present various approaches to verb classification and explain why I am in favour of