Prototypically a volitional action, though not necessarily [exref 004 Means].
A volitional [ss Means] will often modify an intended result, though the outcome can be unintended as well [exref 003 Means].

- [ex 001 "Open the door [p en/by Means] turning the knob."]

- [ex 002 "They retaliated <u>[p en/by Means] shooting</u>/<u>[p en/with Means] shootings</u>."]

- [ex 003 "The owners destroyed the company [p en/by Means] growing it too fast."]

- [ex 004 "Chlorophyll absorbs the light [p en/by Means] transfer of electrons."]

[ss Means] is similar to [ss Instrument], which is used for causally supporting entities and is a kind of [ss Participant].

Contrast with [ss Explanation], which characterizes **why** something happens. I.e., an [ss Explanation] portrays the secondary event as the causal *instigator* of the main event, whereas [ss Means] portrays it merely as a *facilitator*.

Contrast also with [ss Manner]. Both [ss Means] and [ss Manner] elaborate on the **how** of an event; however, a [ss Manner] describes a *quality* of the main event, rather than specifying a facilitating event.

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In v1, [ss Means] was a subtype of [ss Instrument], but with the removal of multiple inheritance for v2, the former was moved directly under [ss Circumstance] and the latter directly under [ss Participant].
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