After you have prepped a transcript and generated flags to catch probable errors, you are ready to correct the morphosyntactic tagging. The flags will point out common problems, but it can’t catch everything. You don’t have to correct only those problems that are flagged; while you’re looking at a flagged utterance, go ahead and make sure everything in it is correct. Likewise, if you happen to spot a mistake in an unflagged utterance, you can fix that too (don’t make a point to look at unflagged utterances, but if your eye wanders and you happen to see some mistakes, feel free to correct them). The rule names should provide a clue as to what may have been mistagged and will require your attention.
You will inevitably encounter some utterances which don’t have an immediately obvious solution. There’s a good chance that these problems have come up before and have already been discussed. This section outlines those troublesome utterances and constructions and provides the conventions that have been established to deal with them. If you are ever stumped by an utterance, check here to see if there is already a conventional solution for it.
The following abbreviations are used in this document:
POS Part-of-speech (the tags found on the mor tier)
GR Grammatical Relationship (the tags found on the syn tier)
NP Noun Phrase
VP Verb Phrase
PP Prepositional Phrase
The phrase “go to sleep” is coded as v|go prep|to n|sleep (as opposed to something like v|go inf|to v|sleep). This is because it is analogous to “go to bed”, which is unambiguously a prepositional phrase.
Example:
I want to go to bed .
pro|I aux|want inf|to v|go prep|to n|bed .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|4|INF 4|0|ROOT 5|4|JCT 6|5|POBJ 7|4|PUNCT
I want to go to sleep .
pro|I aux|want inf|to v|go prep|to n|sleep .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|4|INF 4|0|ROOT 5|4|JCT 6|5|POBJ 7|4|PUNCT
The construction V NP to V (e.g. I want you to want me) can occur with a large number of verbs in the first position and essentially limitless range of verbs in the second position. The NP is almost always an OBJ or PRED to the first verb, and the to V phrase may be an XMOD to the NP, or an XJCT or XCOMP to the first verb. The XCOMP scenario is by far the most common.
If the NP is semantically the subject of the to V phrase, mark the NP as an OBJ or PRED to the first verb and mark the second verb as an XCOMP to the first verb. We mark the NP as being dependent on the first verb even though it is semantically the subject of the second verb because it is inflected as though it were the object of the first verb, which is only seen when the NP is a pronoun (e.g. “I need him to call me”, not “I need he to call me”).
Example:
I need him to call me .
pro|I v|need pro|him inf|to v|call pro|me .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|OBJ 4|5|INF 5|2|XCOMP 6|5|OBJ 7|2|PUNCT
I want Buzz to come .
pro|I v|want n:prop|Buzz inf|to v|come .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|OBJ 4|5|INF 5|2|XCOMP 6|2|PUNCT
If the NP is semantically an object of the second verb or the object of a preposition dependent on that verb, mark the second verb as an XMOD to the NP. In the latter case, although the preposition will be marked prep on the mor tier, the NP will not be a POBJ on the syn tier, so the preposition will not have an explicitly marked POBJ.
Example:
those are big shoes to fill .
pro:dem|those v|be&PRES adj|big n|shoe-PL inf|to v|fill .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|MOD 4|2|PRED 5|6|INF 6|4|XMOD 7|2|PUNCT
I need a sheet to write on .
pro|I v|need det|a n|sheet inf|to v|write prep|on .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|OBJ 5|6|INF 6|4|XMOD 7|6|JCT 8|2|PUNCT
If the NP is semantically unrelated to the to V phrase, (i.e. semantically not an obligatory argument to any part of the second verb phrase), mark it as an XJCT.
Example:
I need caffeine to study .
pro|I v|need n|caffeine inf|to v|study .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|OBJ 4|5|INF 5|2|XJCT 6|2|PUNCT
I'm climbing the wall to go save him .
pro|I~aux|be&1S part|climb-PROG det|the n|wall inf|to v|go v|save pro|him .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|5|DET 5|3|OBJ 6|7|INF 7|8|SRL 8|3|XJCT 9|8|OBJ 10|3|PUNCT
A good test to see whether a to V phrase should be an XJCT or not is to add “in order” before the “to” and see if it makes sense and means the same thing.
Example:
1a. I need you to study.
1b. I need you in order to study.
2a. I need caffeine to study.
2b. I need caffeine in order to study.
The sentence 1b is the same as 1a with “in order” added to it. While 1b does have a meaning, it is not the same as that of 1a. On the other hand, 2b is 2a with “in order” added to it. Since the meaning of 2b is the same as that of 2a, you should mark to study as XJCT.
Very similar to V NP to V is the construction V NP V (e.g. make him come here). With this construction, however, the NP is only ever the semantic subject of the second VP, and thus that VP is always coded as XCOMP. The most common verbs that introduce this construction are “make”, “let”, “help” and the sensing verbs “see”, “hear”, and “feel”.
Example:
make that guy come here .
v|make det|that n|guy v|come adv:loc|here .
1|0|ROOT 2|3|DET 3|1|OBJ 4|1|XCOMP 5|4|JCT 6|1|PUNCT
can you help me move this ?
aux|can pro|you v|help pro|me v|move pro:dem|this ?
1|3|AUX 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|3|OBJ 5|3|XCOMP 6|5|OBJ 7|3|PUNCT
I heard my phone ring .
pro|I v|hear&PAST pro:poss:det|my n|phone v|ring .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|OBJ 5|2|XCOMP 6|2|PUNCT
If an auxiliary is acting in place of a full verb, add AUX- to the beginning of what the GR would normally be. Likewise, if an infinitive is taking the place of a full verb, add INF- to the beginning. Even though an infinitive is obviously marking a non-finite verb, you can still have INF-COMP or INF-CJCT if the first part of the verb cluster is inflected (e.g. “he said he is going to” where is going to is the verb cluster).
Example:
yes I can .
co|yes pro|I aux|can .
1|3|COM 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|AUX-ROOT 4|3|PUNCT
I don't want to .
pro|I aux|do~neg|not aux|want inf|to .
1|5|SUBJ 2|5|AUX 3|2|NEG 4|5|AUX 5|0|INF-ROOT 6|5|PUNCT
I said I will .
pro|I v|say&PAST pro|I aux|will .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|SUBJ 4|2|AUX-COMP 5|2|PUNCT
I said I don't want to .
pro|I v|say&PAST pro|I aux|do~neg|not aux|want inf|to .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|7|SUBJ 4|7|AUX 5|4|NEG 6|7|AUX 7|2|INF-COMP 8|2|PUNCT
Similar to AUX- and INF-, if a determiner is taking the place of a complete NP, add DET- to the beginning of the GR. Note that this only happens in incomplete or partially unintelligible utterances, or when children misuse a possessive pronoun in place of a regular pronoun. If it’s possible to analyze a word as a pro:dem instead of as a det (e.g. “that” or “those”), use the pro:dem. If the only option for the word is a det, however, then add DET- to the GR.
Example:
look at that dog .
v|look ptl|at det|that n|dog .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|PTL 3|4|DET 4|1|OBJ 5|1|PUNCT
(Since the complete NP is there, "that" is a DET and "dog" is OBJ)
look at that ### .
v|look ptl|at pro:dem|that .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|PTL 3|1|OBJ 4|1|PUNCT
(Since the complete NP is missing, "that" is now OBJ. Since it
has a pro:dem entry, however, we use pro:dem|that and do not add DET-)
look at the dog .
v|look ptl|at det|the n|dog .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|PTL 3|4|DET 4|1|OBJ 5|1|PUNCT
(Since the complete NP is there, "the" is a DET and "dog" is OBJ)
look at the ### .
v|look ptl|at det|the .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|PTL 3|1|DET-OBJ 4|1|PUNCT
(Since the complete NP is missing, "the" is now OBJ. Since it
has only the one POS entry, det|the, add DET- to the GR)
The only words that just have a determiner entry, and thus would require DET- at the beggining of a GR are:
the
a
an
my
your
their
our
its
NOTE: We make an exception for numbers (which have POS det:num), which do not require anything added to the front of the GR.
There is one time when a det is not used as an actual determiner, but we do not use the DET- tag, and that is with non-standard/babyish uses of “a”. When “a” is used in some non-standard way (e.g. “a me want it”, “I’m a go over here”), leave its POS as det|a, but change its GR to JCT. This way, it won’t add to the count of NPs and won’t affect the number of clauses.
Example:
I'm a go over here .
pro|I~aux|be&1S det|a v|go prep|over adv:loc|here .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|4|JCT 4|0|ROOT 5|4|JCT 6|5|POBJ 7|4|PUNCT
a look up microscopic creatures .
det|a v|look ptl|up adj|microscopic n|creature-PL .
1|2|JCT 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PTL 4|5|MOD 5|2|OBJ 6|2|PUNCT
When there are two nominals in apposition, the first phrase is the head and the second is a MOD to the first.
Example:
my friend Paul is here .
pro:poss:det|my n|friend n:prop|Paul v|be&3S adv:loc|here .
1|2|DET 2|4|SUBJ 3|2|MOD 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PRED 6|4|PUNCT
This rule encompasses phrases like “the number three”, “the letter b”, or “the year two+thousand”.
Example:
can you find the letter b@l ?
aux|can pro|you v|find det|the n|letter n:let|b ?
1|3|AUX 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|5|DET 5|3|OBJ 6|5|MOD 7|3|PUNCT
you were born in the year two+thousand .
pro|you aux|be&PAST part|bear&PERF prep|in det|the n|year det:num|two+thousand .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|3|JCT 5|6|DET 6|4|POBJ 7|6|MOD 8|3|PUNCT
Sometimes a pronoun (e.g. me) is used like a possessive pronoun (e.g. my). If that happens, code everything else as though the pro were indeed a pro:poss:det. However, instead of coding the pro as a DET, mark it as a MOD. A pro can only be used in this way if the head of the NP has no other determiner, although it may have a MOD or a QUANT.
Although this pattern is often used for non-standard English (e.g. “now where’s me toothpick?”, “you won’t catch them bad guys”), it is also frequently used in the standard English construction you NP, the most common example of which is “you guys”.
Example:
you guys are noisy .
pro|you n|guy-PL v|be&PRES adj|noisy .
1|2|MOD 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|3|PRED 5|3|PUNCT
that's not it, you silly goose .
pro:dem|that~v|be&3S neg|not pro|it pro|you adj|silly n|goose .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|NEG 4|2|PRED 5|7|MOD 6|7|MOD 7|2|VOC 8|2|PUNCT
them three ninjas are sneaky .
pro|them det:num|three n|ninja-PL v|be&PRES adj|sneaky .
1|3|MOD 2|3|QUANT 3|4|SUBJ 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PRED 6|4|PUNCT
him bike is fast .
pro|him n|bike v|be&3S adj|fast .
1|2|MOD 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|3|PRED 5|3|PUNCT
If there is a pronoun followed by an NP that does include a DET, this is probably a clause that is missing a copula (e.g. “you a silly goose”, “them the ninjas”). In this case, mark what would have been the PRED as the ROOT (or whatever the head of that clause would be). Keep what would have been the SUBJ as the SUBJ, but make it dependent on what was formerly the PRED.
Example:
you are a silly goose .
pro|you v|be&PRES det|a adj|silly n|goose .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|5|DET 4|5|MOD 5|2|PRED 6|2|PUNCT
you a silly goose .
pro|you det|a adj|silly n|goose .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|DET 3|4|MOD 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PUNCT
I thought them were the ninjas .
pro|I v|think&PAST pro|them v|be&PAST det|the n|ninja-PL .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|SUBJ 4|2|COMP 5|6|DET 6|4|PRED 7|2|PUNCT
I thought them the ninjas .
pro|I v|think&PAST pro|them det|the n|ninja-PL .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|5|SUBJ 4|5|DET 5|2|COMP 6|2|PUNCT
The last example is obviously non-standard English, but it would be the same format, and more clearly a missing-copula construction, if the pronoun had been “they” instead of “them”.
ADD MORE ABOUT MISSING COPULAE HEREHEREHERE
If you encounter an NP followed by a locative adverb or a PP, it may be a missing copula construction, but it may also be an NP with a post-positioned MOD or a sentence fragment containing an NP and a JCT. You must use the context of the utterance to determine how it’s being used. The utterance “that guy in the car”, for example, could be any of of those constructions:
Example:
Missing Copula:
(playing with toy figures)
\*MOT: where is this guy going to be ?
\*CHI: that guy in the car .
%mor: det|that n|guy prep|in det|the n|car .
%syn: 1|2|DET 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|5|DET 5|3|POBJ 6|3|PUNCT
Post-positioned MOD:
\*CHI: now he's sleeping .
\*MOT: who's sleeping ?
\*CHI: that guy in the car .
%mor: det|that n|guy prep|in det|the n|car .
%syn: 1|2|DET 2|0|ROOT 3|2|MOD 4|5|DET 5|3|POBJ 6|2|PUNCT
Sentence fragment with JCT:
\*MOT: should we put this guy in the car or that guy in the car ?
\*CHI: that guy in the car .
%mor: det|that n|guy prep|in det|the n|car .
%syn: 1|2|DET 2|0|ROOT 3|2|JCT 4|5|DET 5|3|POBJ 6|2|PUNCT
In general, the only post-positioned MODs (that is, where the MOD comes after the NP) will be prepositional phrases (e.g. the guy in the car). The major exception, however, is when the noun phrase is one of the -thing, -body, or -one words (i.e. nothing, something, anything, everything, nobody, somebody, anybody, everybody, noone, someone, anyone, everyone), in which case the MOD following may be any adjective or the word “else” with POS post.
Example:
do you want something else ?
aux|do pro|you v|want pro:indef|anything post|else ?
1|3|AUX 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|3|OBJ 5|4|MOD 6|3|PUNCT
you can't have anything sweet .
pro|you aux|can~neg|not v|have pro:indef|anything adj|sweet .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|2|NEG 4|0|ROOT 5|4|OBJ 6|5|MOD 7|4|PUNCT
there's nobody cooler than him .
pro:exist|there~v|be&3S pro:indef|nobody adj|cool-CP prep|than pro|him .
1|2|ESUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|3|MOD 5|4|JCT 6|5|POBJ 7|2|PUNCT
everyone else can go .
pro:indef|everyone post|else aux|can v|go .
1|4|SUBJ 2|1|MOD 3|4|AUX 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PUNCT
Naturally, in a standard declarative utterance, the SUBJ comes before the ROOT. A common exception to this happens when the words “here/there” are used in conjunction with the verbs “be/come/go”. In those cases, the JCT or PRED (whichever GR “here/there” is fulfilling) comes first, followed by the verb, followed by the SUBJ.
Example:
here comes the car .
adv:loc|here v|come-3S det|the n|car .
1|2|JCT 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|SUBJ 5|2|PUNCT
there goes my baby .
adv:loc|there v|go-3S pro:poss:det|my n|baby .
1|2|JCT 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|SUBJ 5|2|PUNCT
here's your doll .
adv:loc|here~v|be&3S pro:poss:det|your n|doll .
1|2|PRED 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|SUBJ 5|2|PUNCT
Unless “here/there” is used with “be/come/go”, any nominal coming after the verb is almost definitely an OBJ (unless you think there’s a very good reason that the thing coming after is a SUBJ, but it’s unlikely).
Quantifiers usually precede the NP they are quantifying (e.g. “all my children”, “both candidates”), but it’s possible for the quantifier to come after the quantified NP, especially when that NP is the SUBJ (“my children all want to come”). The quantifier can even be separated by an auxiliary or a copula (“my children are all adults now”, “my children can all ride unicycles”).
Example:
we both are tired .
pro|we qn|both v|be&PRES part|tire-PERF .
1|3|SUBJ 2|1|QUANT 3|0|ROOT 4|3|PRED 5|3|PUNCT
we are both tired .
pro|we v|be&PRES qn|both part|tire-PERF .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|1|QUANT 4|2|PRED 5|2|PUNCT
the guests will each receive a copy .
det|the n|guest-PL aux|will qn|each v|receive det|a n|copy .
1|2|DET 2|5|SUBJ 3|5|AUX 4|2|QUANT 5|0|ROOT 6|7|DET 7|5|OBJ 8|5|PUNCT
I'll show them all .
pro|I~aux|will v|show pro|them qn|all .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|3|OBJ 5|4|QUANT 6|3|PUNCT
At some point you will probably encounter a construction like NP be PART (e.g. “the toy was broken”) and you will have to decide whether it should be coded as a copula construction (i.e. 1|2|DET 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|3|PRED) or as a passive construction (i.e. 1|2|DET 2|4|SUBJ 3|4|AUX 4|0|ROOT).
Example:
Copula:
the toy was broken .
det|the n|toy v|be&PAST&13S part|break&PERF .
1|2|DET 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|3|PRED 5|3|PUNCT
Passive:
the toy was broken .
det|the n|toy aux|be&PAST&13S part|break&PERF .
1|2|DET 2|4|SUBJ 3|4|AUX 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PUNCT
Notice that in the copula construction, “be” is marked as a full verb on the mor tier, as well as being marked ROOT (or another verbish GR) on the syn tier and the participle is a PRED to “be”. In a passive construction, “be” is marked aux on the mor tier and AUX on the syn tier, while the participle takes over the verbish GR on the syn tier.
So how do you decide which way to code it? It depends on the context and what you think the meaning of the sentence is.
If the utterance is meant to describe the state of something at a given timepoint, you probably want to use the copula construction:
Copula:
*MOT: do you want to look at the painting ?
*CHI: where is it ?
*MOT: it is attached to the wall .
%mor: pro|it v|be&3S part|attach-PERF prep|to det|the n|wall .
%syn: 1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|3|JCT 5|6|DET 6|4|POBJ 7|2|PUNCT
In the previous exchange, the mother reports the state of the picture as being attached to the wall. The painting does not undergo any change and is not acted upon. You can also see how the utterance in question would be coded as a copula construction.
If, on the other hand, the utterance is describing a process or an event that something experienced, you probably want to use the passive construction:
Passive:
*MOT: when the painter finishes, he frames his painting .
*CHI: and then what happens ?
*MOT: it is attached to the wall .
%mor: pro|it aux|be&3S part|attach-PERF prep|to det|the n|wall .
%syn: 1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|3|JCT 5|6|DET 6|4|POBJ 7|3|PUNCT
In the previous exchange, the mother describes a process that the painting undergoes, namely somebody attaching the painting to the wall. Again, you can see how the utterance would be coded, this time as a passive construction.
More examples:
Copula:
*CHI: why did he look like a chicken ?
*MOT: he was covered in feathers .
%mor: pro|he v|be&PAST&13S part|cover-PERF prep|in n|feather-PL .
%syn: 1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|3|JCT 5|4|POBJ 6|2|PUNCT
Passive:
*CHI: what happened after they tarred him ?
*MOT: he was covered in feathers .
%mor: pro|he aux|be&PAST&13S part|cover-PERF prep|in n|feather-PL .
%syn: 1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|3|JCT 5|4|POBJ 6|3|PUNCT
Now that you know the actual reasons for choosing copula vs. passive constructions, it may also be useful to know that passive constructions come up much less frequently in our data than copula constructions do.
You will sometimes encounter “compound prepositions” comprising either two preps or an adv/adv:loc followed by a prep (usually “of” or “to”). When this happens, the first part is the head of the construction (and thus is the JCT or PRED or whatever GR to something else), while the second part is a JCT to the first part. The most common examples of these “compound prepositions” are “out of” and “next to”.
Example:
take the sandwich out of the bag .
v|take det|the n|sandwich adv:loc|out prep|of det|the n|bag .
1|0|ROOT 2|3|DET 3|1|OBJ 4|1|JCT 5|4|JCT 6|7|DET 7|5|POBJ 8|1|PUNCT
put it next to the table .
v|put pro|it adv|next prep|to det|the n|table .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|OBJ 3|1|LOC 4|3|JCT 5|6|DET 6|4|POBJ 7|1|PUNCT
I want to sit next to you .
pro|I aux|want inf|to v|sit adv|next prep|to pro|you .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|4|INF 4|0|ROOT 5|4|JCT 6|5|JCT 7|6|POBJ 8|4|PUNCT
Although it doesn’t happen very often, you may encounter a preposition whose argument is not an NP but a PP (e.g. for in the house). Code these the same way you would code compound prepositions, with the first prep being the PRED, JCT, etc. and the second prep being a JCT to the first.
Example:
the little ones are for in the house .
det|the adj|little pro:indef|one-PL v|be&PRES prep|for prep|in det|the n|JCT .
1|3|DET 2|3|MOD 3|4|SUBJ 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PRED 6|5|JCT 7|8|DET 8|6|POBJ 9|4|PUNCT
here is your snacks from around the world .
adv:loc|here v|be&3S pro:poss:det|your n|snack-PL prep|from prep|around det|the n|world .
1|2|PRED 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|SUBJ 5|4|MOD 6|5|JCT 7|8|DET 8|6|POBJ 9|2|PUNCT
If you have two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, each of those clauses is a COORD dependent on the conjucntion, which takes over as ROOT of the utterance. If you have a coordinating conjunction that’s only “coordinating” one clause, it still takes over as the ROOT while the one clause is a COORD dependent on the conjunction.
Example:
I will always love you .
pro|I aux|will adv|always v|love pro|you .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|4|JCT 4|0|ROOT 5|4|OBJ 6|4|PUNCT
and I will always love you .
conj:coo|and pro|I aux|will adv|always v|love pro|you .
1|0|ROOT 2|5|SUBJ 3|5|AUX 4|5|JCT 5|1|COORD 6|5|OBJ 7|1|PUNCT
I'd like to tell you .
pro|I~aux|will&COND aux|like inf|to v|tell pro|you .
1|5|SUBJ 2|5|AUX 3|5|AUX 4|5|INF 5|0|ROOT 6|5|OBJ 7|5|PUNCT
I'd like to tell you but +..
pro|I~aux|will&COND aux|like inf|to v|tell pro|you conj:coo|but +..
1|5|SUBJ 2|5|AUX 3|5|AUX 4|5|INF 5|7|COORD 6|5|OBJ 7|0|ROOT 8|7|PUNCT
This also includes a phrase that itself comprises two coordinated clauses. The head of the coordinated phrase, which in this case is a coordinator, is still the COORD dependent on the dangling coordinator.
Example:
I'll love him and walk him every day .
pro|I~aux|will v|love pro|him conj:coo|and v|walk pro|him qn|every n|day .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|5|COORD 4|3|OBJ 5|0|ROOT 6|5|COORD 7|6|OBJ 8|9|QUANT 9|6|JCT 10|5|PUNCT
and I'll love him and walk him every day .
conj:coo|and pro|I~aux|will v|love pro|him conj:coo|and v|walk pro|him qn|every n|day .
1|0|ROOT 2|4|SUBJ 3|4|AUX 4|6|COORD 5|4|OBJ 6|1|COORD 7|6|COORD 8|7|OBJ 9|10|QUANT 10|7|JCT 11|1|PUNCT
A PRED is used to give information about the state or condition of the SUBJ. A PRED can be just about any part-of-speech, most commonly n, n:prop, adj, adv:loc, and prep. In incomplete utterances, they may even be det. The most common verb with which a PRED occurs is “be”, but can also occur with the verbs “get”, “seem”, “appear”, and verbs of sensing, or rather of being sensed (i.e. sound, look, smell, taste, feel).
Example:
he is very smart .
pro|he v|be&3S adv:int|very adj|smart .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|JCT 4|2|PRED 5|2|PUNCT
are they in the car ?
v|be&PRES pro|they prep|in det|the n|car ?
1|0|ROOT 2|1|SUBJ 3|1|PRED 4|5|DET 5|3|POBJ 6|1|PUNCT
it seems friendly .
pro|it v|seem-3S adj:n|friend-LY .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|2|PUNCT
this tastes kind+of funny .
pro:dem|this v|taste-3S adv|kind+of adj|funny .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|JCT 4|2|PRED 5|2|PUNCT
I don't feel good .
pro|I aux|do~neg|not v|feel adj|good .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|2|NEG 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PRED 6|4|PUNCT
she looks like a good student .
pro|she v|look-3S prep|like det|a adj|good n|student .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|6|DET 5|6|MOD 6|3|POBJ 7|2|PUNCT
PRED may also occur with the verbs “make”, “want”, and “need” after the OBJ of the verb. Only use a PRED, however, if you could insert the word(s) “(to) be” between the OBJ and the PRED and maintain the same meaning.
Example:
Good:
make that one red => make that one be red
he wants that over here => he wants that to be over here
I need you very quiet => I need you to be very quiet
Bad:
(where should we make our cake?)
let's make it over here => let's make it be over here
I want that for my car => I want that to be for my car
she needs you real quick => she needs you to be real quick
In the first set of examples, you can add “(to) be” between the OBJ and the adjective or PP and the meaning remains the same, so that adj or PP should be marked PRED. In the second set of examples, while the utterances with “to be” are grammatical, they do not mean the same thing as the utterances without “to be”, so those PPs and advs should be coded as JCT.
Example:
make that one red .
v|make det|that pro:indef|one adj|red .
1|0|ROOT 2|3|DET 3|1|OBJ 4|1|PRED 5|1|PUNCT
I need you in here right now .
pro|I v|need pro|you prep|in adv:loc|here adv|right adv|now .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|OBJ 4|2|PRED 5|4|POBJ 6|7|JCT 7|2|JCT 8|2|PUNCT
let's make him the captain .
aux|let's v|make pro|him det|the n|captain .
1|2|AUX 2|0|ROOT 3|2|OBJ 4|5|DET 5|2|PRED 6|2|PUNCT
(where should be make this ?)
let's make it over here .
aux|let's v|make pro|it prep|over adv:loc|here .
1|2|AUX 2|0|ROOT 3|2|OBJ 4|2|PRED 5|4|POBJ 6|2|PUNCT
Notice that in order for one of these three verbs to have a PRED, it must also have an OBJ that comes first.
The TAG code is used on the syn tier for the head of a verb cluster that is either a full verb/participle or an auxiliary on the mor tier, but that should not be counted as adding to the number of clauses of the utterance. There are three occasions when you will use the TAG code on the syn tier:
- Negated auxiliary/copula tags (e.g. he’s fast, isn’t he?)
- Sentence fragments containing a full verb. These are sometimes properly transcribed utterances (e.g. this goes on top, see?).
- Full sentences with no grammatical connection that are on the same line as another utterance. These are the result of incorrect transcription (e.g. let’s go, we’re late.)
These are a valid construction in standard English, but we don’t want these phrases to add to the complexity (i.e. clause count) of the utterance, so we mark them as TAG. The TAG is dependent on whatever phrase the auxiliary or copula is referencing, usually the ROOT.
Example:
he's fast, isn't he ?
pro|he~v|be&3S adj|fast v|be&3S~neg|not pro|he ?
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|2|TAG 5|4|NEG 6|4|SUBJ 7|2|PUNCT
she was laughing a+lot, wasn't she ?
pro|she aux|be&PAST&13S part|laugh-PROG adv|a+lot aux|be&PAST&13S~neg|not pro|she ?
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|3|JCT 5|3|TAG 6|5|NEG 7|5|SUBJ 8|3|PUNCT
I thought gosh he's fast, isn't he ?
pro|I v|think&PAST co|gosh pro|he~v|be&3S adj|fast v|be&3S~neg|not pro|he ?
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|5|COM 4|5|SUBJ 5|2|COMP 6|5|PRED 7|5|TAG 8|7|NEG 9|7|SUBJ 10|2|PUNCT
While these types of utterances aren’t technically considered one sentence in standard English, our transcription rules allow some verbs with no arguments (or sometimes one object argument, so long as the verb is in imperative form) to be transcribed on the same line (see Rule 4.9 <tg-4-9>). However, we still don’t want these verbs to add to the complexity/clause count, so we mark them as TAG. These are almost always dependent on ROOT or, in the case of coordinated clauses, on the closest head of an independent clause (I can’t think of when it wouldn’t be, but if you think there’s a good reason for something not to be dependent on ROOT, it’s not prohibited).
Example:
this goes on top, see ?
pro:dem|this v|go-3S prep|on n|top v|see ?
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|JCT 4|3|POBJ 5|2|TAG 6|2|PUNCT
remember, we have to go to practice .
v|remember pro|we aux|have inf|to v|go prep|to n|practice .
1|5|TAG 2|5|SUBJ 3|5|AUX 4|5|INF 5|0|ROOT 6|5|JCT 7|6|POBJ 8|5|PUNCT
Unfortunately, transcribers are not perfect, and sometimes you will see an utterance that does not conform to our transcription rules regarding utterance boundaries. While we can make slight changes to single words which are clearly typos (e.g. “its in the box” => “it’s in the box”, or “do you have they’re number” => “do you have their number”), we cannot split an utterance into two utterances. So if you encounter something like “let’s go, we’re late” you’ll have to make do with what you have.
There are two options for dealing with an extraneous clause like this: mark it as TAG, so that it doesn’t add to the clause count, or mark it as CJCT/XJCT, so that it does add to the clause count. In general, I mark phrases like this as a CJCT/XJCT if it seems more semantically meaningful, and as TAG if it seems more like a throw-away phrase that doesn’t carry much meaning. By throw-away, I mean things like “I know”, “you know (what)”, “I guess”, “that’s right”, “you’re right”, “let’s go”, etc. If you come across two unconnected, semantically meaningful utterances on the same line, in general just mark the first one as ROOT and the second as CJCT/XJCT (again, unless you think there’s a good reason to do it the other way around; there’s no rule against it).
Example:
Throw-away phrases, mark as TAG:
let's go, we're late .
aux|let's v|go pro|we~v|be&PRES adj|late .
1|2|AUX 2|4|TAG 3|4|SUBJ 4|0|ROOT 5|4|PRED 6|4|PUNCT
you know what, we already have that .
pro|you v|know pro:wh|what pro|we adv|already v|have pro:dem|that .
1|2|SUBJ 2|6|TAG 3|2|OBJ 4|6|SUBJ 5|6|JCT 6|0|ROOT 7|6|OBJ 8|6|PUNCT
there's always next year, I guess .
pro:exist|there~v|be&3S adv|always adj|next n|year pro|I v|guess .
1|2|ESUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|JCT 4|5|MOD 5|2|PRED 6|7|SUBJ 7|2|TAG 8|2|PUNCT
Semantically meaningful phrases, mark as CJCT/XJCT:
you can't go there, Mark is in there .
pro|you aux|can~neg|not v|go adv:loc|there n:prop|Mark v|be&3S prep|in adv:loc|there .
1|4|SUBJ 2|4|AUX 3|2|NEG 4|0|ROOT 5|4|JCT 6|7|SUBJ 7|4|CJCT 8|7|PRED 9|8|POBJ 10|4|PUNCT
he'll go in the car, you take the train .
pro|he~aux|will v|go prep|in det|the n|car pro|you v|take det|the n|train .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|3|JCT 5|6|DET 6|4|POBJ 7|8|SUBJ 8|3|CJCT 9|10|DET 10|8|OBJ 11|3|PUNCT
The very common construction to be + done/finished + VERBing (e.g. he is done working) is coded such that done/finished is a PRED of be and the part|verb-PROG is an XCOMP of done/finished.
Example:
she is done singing .
pro|she v|be&3S part|do&PERF part|sing-PROG .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|3|XCOMP 5|2|PUNCT
are you finished eating ?
v|be&PRES pro|you part|finish-PERF part|eat-PROG ?
1|0|ROOT 2|1|SUBJ 3|1|PRED 4|3|XCOMP 5|1|PUNCT
you can nap when she's done recording .
pro|you aux|can v|nap conj:subor|when pro|she~v|be&3S part|do&PERF part|record-PROG .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|6|CPZR 5|6|SUBJ 6|3|CJCT 7|6|PRED 8|7|XCOMP 9|3|PUNCT
The following words can be used to quantify a noun phrase in two different ways, but with slightly different coding used in each case:
all, any, both, each, either, enough, few, half,
many, more, most, much, plenty, several, some
If any of these words is followed directly by a noun phrase, mark it as qn on the mor tier and QUANT on the syn tier, dependent on the head of the NP.
Example:
give me all your money .
v|give pro|me qn|all pro:poss:det|your n|money .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|OBJ2 3|5|QUANT 4|5|DET 5|1|OBJ 6|1|PUNCT
some kids don't like chocolate .
qn|some n|kid-PL aux|do~neg|not v|like n|chocolate .
1|2|QUANT 2|5|SUBJ 3|5|AUX 4|3|NEG 5|0|ROOT 6|5|OBJ 7|5|PUNCT
If, however, there is the preposition “of” between the word and the NP, mark the word as pro:indef on the mor tier and whatever the GR of the NP would have been on the syn tier (e.g. OBJ or SUBJ). Then, mark “of” as a MOD to the pro:indef, and mark the head of the NP as a POBJ to “of”.
Example:
give me all of your money .
v|give pro|me pro:indef|all prep|of pro:poss:det|your n|money .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|OBJ2 3|1|OBJ 4|3|MOD 5|6|DET 6|4|POBJ 7|1|PUNCT
some of the kids don't like chocolate .
pro:indef|some prep|of det|the n|kid-PL aux|do~neg|not v|like n|chocolate .
1|7|SUBJ 2|1|MOD 3|4|DET 4|2|POBJ 5|7|AUX 6|5|NEG 7|0|ROOT 8|7|OBJ 9|7|PUNCT
Any time a word is used as a vocative (that is, when it identifies to whom an utterance is addressed), code it as VOC. Common vocatives include “honey”, “sweetie”, and “sir”. These words, when used in this sense, get the POS code co:voc and the GR code VOC:
Example:
do you want some more, sweetie ?
aux|do pro|you v|want qn|some pro:indef|more co:voc|sweetie ?
1|3|AUX 2|3|SUBJ 3|0|ROOT 4|5|QUANT 5|3|OBJ 6|3|VOC 7|3|PUNCT
honey, I can't understand you .
co:voc|honey pro|I aux|can~neg|not v|understand pro|you .
1|5|VOC 2|5|SUBJ 3|5|AUX 4|3|NEG 5|0|ROOT 6|5|OBJ 7|5|PUNCT
Proper nouns are also very frequently used as vocatives, especially the proper nouns “Mom/Mommy” and “Dad/Daddy,” although any proper noun can be used as a vocative. In fact, any noun can be used as a vocative, though common nouns are less likely to be used in that way, although it does happen (especially when kids are talking to their toys).
Example:
Mom, can I have some more ?
n:prop|Mom aux|can pro|I v|have qn|some pro:indef|more ?
1|4|VOC 2|4|AUX 3|4|SUBJ 4|0|ROOT 5|6|QUANT 6|4|OBJ 7|4|PUNCT
you've had enough, David .
pro|you~aux|have part|have&PERF pro:indef|enough n:prop|David .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|3|OBJ 5|3|VOC 6|3|PUNCT
come here, ball !
v|come adv:loc|here n|ball !
1|0|ROOT 2|1|JCT 3|1|VOC 4|1|PUNCT
horsie, wake up !
n|horse-DIM v|wake ptl|up !
1|2|VOC 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PTL 4|2|PUNCT
A noun phrase can consist of the base noun plus a DET, a QUANT, or both. (e.g. all my friends, those two guys). There should never be two DETs; if there are, you should probably just delete the first one on the assumption that it was an error or, if the speaker is the child and the first DET is “a”, mark it as a JCT (e.g. “a this one, Mommy”; see “det” used as “JCT” <mg-problems-det-as-jct>). This is because young children often use “a” in non-standard ways, and we want to track that.
Standard English does allow two quantifiers to be used in the same noun phrase. However, we only code them both as QUANT to the noun if one has the POS code quant and the other has det:num. If, however, two words with POS code quant are used, we mark the first one as a JCT to the second, which is a QUANT to the noun. GIVE A REASON HEREHEREHERE!!!
Example:
all my friends are coming .
qn|all pro:poss:det|my n|friend-PL aux|be&PRES part|come-PROG .
1|3|QUANT 2|3|DET 3|5|SUBJ 4|5|AUX 5|0|ROOT 6|5|PUNCT
those two guys are my friends .
det|thos det:num|two n|guy-PL v|be&PRES pro:poss:det|my n|friend-PL .
1|3|DET 2|3|QUANT 3|4|SUBJ 4|0|ROOT 5|6|DET 6|4|PRED 7|4|PUNCT
do it one more time .
v|do pro|it det:num|one qn|more n|time .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|OBJ 3|5|QUANT 4|5|QUANT 5|1|JCT 6|1|PUNCT
hold up all five fingers .
v|hold ptl|up qn|all det:num|five n|finger-PL .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|PTL 3|5|QUANT 4|5|QUANT 5|1|OBJ 6|1|PUNCT
give me some more chips .
v|give pro|me qn|some qn|more n|chip-PL .
1|0|ROOT 2|1|OBJ 3|4|JCT 4|5|QUANT 5|1|OBJ 6|1|PUNCT
You will frequently see a subordinate clause introduced by a WH-word (i.e. who, what, where, when, why, how). If you see this, code the clause as a COMP (or CPRED, and very occasionally CSUBJ, if the matrix verb is “be”) and code the WH-word as though it were part of the subordinate clause. DO NOT code the WH-word as part of the matrix clause and then code the subordinate clause as a CMOD/CJCT to the WH-word.
Example:
I know who you are talking about .
pro|I v|know pro:wh|who pro|you aux|be&PRES part|talk-PROG prep|about .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|7|POBJ 4|6|SUBJ 5|6|AUX 6|2|COMP 7|6|JCT 8|2|PUNCT
I'll do what I want .
pro|I~aux|will v|do pro:wh|what pro|I v|want .
1|3|SUBJ 2|3|AUX 3|0|ROOT 4|6|OBJ 5|6|SUBJ 6|3|COMP 7|3|PUNCT
he knows how you make it .
pro|he v|know-3S adv:wh|how pro|you v|make pro|it .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|5|JCT 4|5|SUBJ 5|2|COMP 6|5|OBJ 7|2|PUNCT
that is why I won't go .
pro:dem v|be&3S adv:wh|why pro|I aux|will~neg|not v|go .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|7|JCT 4|7|SUBJ 5|7|AUX 6|5|NEG 7|2|CPRED 8|2|PUNCT
this is what I need .
pro:dem|this v|be&3S pro:wh|what pro|I v|need .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|5|OBJ 4|5|SUBJ 5|2|CPRED 6|2|PUNCT
here is how you do it .
adv:loc|here v|be&3S adv:wh|how pro|you v|do pro|it .
1|2|PRED 2|0|ROOT 3|5|JCT 4|5|SUBJ 5|2|CSUBJ 6|5|OBJ 7|2|PUNCT
If, however, the WH-word is replaced with a normal noun phrase, you should code the noun phrase as part of the matrix clause and code the subordinate clause as a CMOD to the noun phrase.
Example:
I know the guy you are talking about .
pro|I v|know det|the n|guy pro|you aux|be&PRES part|talk-PROG prep|about .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|OBJ 5|7|SUBJ 6|7|AUX 7|4|CMOD 8|7|JCT 9|2|PUNCT
that is the reason I won't go .
pro:dem v|be&3S det|the n|reason pro|I aux|will~neg|not v|go .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|PRED 5|8|SUBJ 6|8|AUX 7|6|NEG 8|4|CMOD 9|2|PUNCT
here is the way you do it .
adv:loc|here v|be&3S det|the n|way pro|you v|do pro|it .
1|2|PRED 2|0|ROOT 3|4|DET 4|2|SUBJ 5|6|SUBJ 6|4|CMOD 7|6|OBJ 8|2|PUNCT
Although these constructions are very similar and it may seem strange to code them in different ways, there is one very important difference. While you could insert a relativizer (i.e. “that” or “who”) after an NP (i.e. I know the guy who you are talking about, that is the reason that I won’t go), you cannot do the same with a WH-word introducing the clause (i.e. *I know who that you are talking about, *that is why that I won’t go). So, when there is a normal noun phrase, we can assume that the relativizer is just implied, but still code it as a relative clause. With the WH-words, however, relative clauses are not allowed, so we must code them differently.
Very similar to complements introduced by WH-words are subjects introduced by the word “all” (e.g. “all you have to do is try your best”). Strangely enough, we treat this construction as an exception to the last rule; while you can insert a relativizer after “that” (e.g. “all that you have to do is try your best”), we don’t code it as a relative clause, but rather similar to the way we would code it with WH-words. That is to say, “all” takes whatever GR it serves in the first clause (in this case OBJ), while the entire clause serves as the CSUBJ to the main clause. Unfortunately, the only reason for this is that this is what the coders under the old system did.
Example:
all you have to do is try your best .
pro:indef|all pro|you aux|have inf|to v|do v|be&3S v|try pro:poss:det|your n|best .
1|5|OBJ 2|5|SUBJ 3|5|AUX 4|5|INF 5|6|CSUBJ 6|0|ROOT 7|6|XPRED 8|9|DET 9|7|OBJ 10|6|PUNCT
all I'm saying is you shouldn't have done that .
pro:indef|all pro|I~aux|be&1S part|say-PROG v|be&3S pro|you aux|should~neg|not aux|have part|do&PERF pro:dem|that .
1|4|OBJ 2|4|SUBJ 3|4|AUX 4|5|CSUBJ 5|0|ROOT 6|10|SUBJ 7|10|AUX 8|7|NEG 9|10|AUX 10|5|CPRED 11|10|OBJ 12|5|PUNCT
all he is is a dirty rotten scoundrel .
pro:indef|all pro|he v|be&3S v|be&3S det|a adj|dirty adj|rotten n|scoundrel .
1|3|PRED 2|3|SUBJ 3|4|CSUBJ 4|0|ROOT 5|8|DET 6|8|MOD 7|8|MOD 8|4|PRED 9|4|PUNCT
In the construction be ADJ to VERB, the ADJ is always a PRED to “be” while the VERB is an XJCT to “be”.
Example:
it is hard to bake a cake .
pro|it v|be&3S adj|hard inf|to v|bake det|a n|cake .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|5|INF 5|2|XJCT 6|7|DET 7|5|OBJ 8|2|PUNCT
it wasn't easy to do .
pro|it v|be&PAST&13S~neg|not adj|easy inf|to v|do .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|NEG 4|2|PRED 5|6|INF 6|2|XJCT 7|2|PUNCT
In an utterance like “you are good at hiding”, we do not want the phrase “at hiding” to contribute to the number of clauses in the utterance. Thus “good” should be a PRED , “at” should be a preposition and a JCT to “good”, and the verb (in this case “hiding”) should be coded as n:gerund|hide-GERUND and should be a POBJ dependent on “to”.
Example:
you are good at hiding .
pro|you v|be&PRES adj|good prep|at n:gerund|hide-GERUND .
1|2|SUBJ 2|0|ROOT 3|2|PRED 4|3|JCT 5|4|POBJ 6|2|PUNCT
The phrase WH-word do you think CLAUSE comes up frequently (e.g. “what do you think this is?”, “where do you think he is going?”). There are obviously two clauses, but it may not be clear at first which is the ROOT and which the subordinate clause. The easiest way to figure this out is to restructure the utterance to make it a declarative sentence. Thus, “what do you think this is?” becomes “you (do) think this is what?”. Now it’s easier to see that “think” is ROOT, while “is” is a COMP and “what” is the PRED of “is”, even though they are not adjacent.
Example:
what do you think this is ?
pro:wh|what aux|do pro|you v|think pro:dem|this v|be&3S ?
1|6|PRED 2|4|AUX 3|4|AUX 4|0|ROOT 5|6|SUBJ 6|4|COMP 7|4|PUNCT
where do you think he is going ?
adv:wh|where aux|do pro|you v|think pro|he aux|be&3S part|go-PROG ?
1|7|JCT 2|4|AUX 3|4|SUBJ 4|0|ROOT 5|7|SUBJ 6|7|AUX 7|4|COMP 8|4|PUNCT
Using the sentence restructuring trick, you will always find that “do you think” (or any variation of that, such as “does he think”) will be the ROOT and the other clause will be its COMP. You can also use this trick any time there is an interrogative sentence and it’s unclear what each word’s GR is or, if there are multiple clauses, which clause is the ROOT.