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Given that X__ Vてある means someone did V to X, when should X be followed by は,
が, and を?

The Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar says

> "X" is most frequently marked by the topic marker は or the subject marker が;
> occasionally, it is marked by the direct object marker を. The agent is
> usually omitted.

but it provides no explanation about when to use each particle.

In addition, I found [an
example](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/41624/10268) where が marks the
agent rather than X: 「彼が殺してある」translated as "He has already killed someone"
(rather than "He has already been killed"). This puzzles me further: how can I
tell when が marks X and when it marks the agent?
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2021-07-04T16:14:36.550
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question
grammar
Using は, が, を with Vて-ある construction
The `Vt-てある` construction describes the way something is intentionally left in
the resulting state of an earlier action upon it. When a sentence focuses on
the resulting state, the object of the action usually takes the subject’s slot
followed by が.

> テーブルの上に本 **が** 置いてある。  
>  A book is left on the table.

The object marker を seems to put focus more on the action than its resulting
state, and the agent of the action may be specified with が in this case.

> （彼が）昼ごはん **を** 作ってある。  
>  He has lunch prepared (for someone).

If you omit the object, you end up with a sentence like the following.

> 彼 **が** 作ってある。  
>  He has it prepared (for someone).

The object or the agent may be topicalized or singled out for contrast with は.

> 昼ごはん **は** 作ってある。[object]
>
> 彼 **は** 作ってある。[agent]

* * *

[EDIT]

Let me give you a pair of examples in which a person is the object of a verb
in one and the agent of the same verb in the other.

>   1. 中村さん **を** [任命]{にんめい}してあります。  
>  We have Nakamura-san assigned (for some purpose).
>

>   2. 中村さん **が** 任命してあります。  
>  Nakamura-san has someone assigned (for some purpose).
>

It’s hard to interpret the second sentence in the same way as the first (i.e.
to see 中村さん as the object) because a person is not usually described with ある.
The first sentence doesn’t describe Nakamura-san’s state as much as it does
the fact that someone has assigned him/her.

It could become more ambiguous if it were about a robot. ロボットが置いてある could go
either way.
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answer
彼が殺してある He has already killed someone for him/her/something.

Or

HE has already killed someone for him/her/something.

彼を殺してある I have already killed him for him/her/something.

Or

I have already killed HIM for him/her/something.

Or Someone have already killed him for him/her/something.

彼は殺してある Someone has already killed HIM for him/her/something.

Or

HE has already killed someone for him/her/something.

XがVてある equals XがVしておいた X prepared V for him/her/something

You can look up the word しておく(present tense), しておいた(past tense, present
perfect)
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answer