This thesis investigates the possibility of sub-lexical scope in English, which provides insights into the representation of the lexical semantics of simplex causatives. Contrary to the traditional view, Martin (2018, 2020) argues for sub-lexical scope with eventive subjects, while maintaining its unavailability with agentive subjects. To further examine the empirical predictions of Martin’s proposals, I conducted a pilot experiment, as well as a small follow-up, with 11 English native informants. The results of these experiments indicate that mentioning the causing event is essential for licensing sub-lexical scope, whereas having an agentive subject foregrounds the issue of accountability (cf. Neeleman and Van de Koot 2012), thereby restricting the elasticity of a causal chain and the concomitant options for sub-lexical scope. This thesis explores two potential mechanisms for achieving sub-lexical scope, demonstrating how the data obtained from the experiments can be analysed by each approach.