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Thinking about word classes Finding common nouns and determiners (Part of Dick Hudson's web tutorial on Word Grammar) Some general principles • Always start with the easy words – the ones you feel most confident about classifying. • Think globally – choose analyses for each word which make sense in terms of the neighbouring words as well. • If in doubt, check the WG Encyclopedia. The sentence to be analysed “This short sentence contains a verb.” • Task 1: find all the common nouns. • A test frame for common nouns: “the __.” – i.e. if it’s a common noun, you can use it between the and the end of the sentence. Results “This short sentence contains a verb.” • …. the this. – NO! • …. the short. – NO! • …. the sentence. – YES! e.g. I’m analysing the sentence. • …. the contains. – NO! • …. the a. – NO! • …. the verb. – YES! e.g. I’ve found the verb. Record the results This short sentence contains a verb. N N • Technical point: – To locate the N’s under the right words, use either tabs or the space-bar. Find the determiners Reminder: • A ‘determiner’ is really a pronoun (n) that stands before a common noun (N). • The determiner is grammatically necessary if the common noun is: – singular and – countable (i.e. names a countable unit). How to find a determiner • Find a common noun (N). • Test whether N is – singular (no {s}) – and countable (could have {s}) – but beware of irregular plurals (e.g. feet) • If it is, find the word just before it that can’t be omitted. Results (1) “This short sentence contains a verb.” N N • Test sentence: – is it singular? YES – is it countable? YES (evidence: sentences) • Which word before it can’t be omitted? – This: can’t be omitted (*Short sentence …) – short: can be omitted (This sentence …) Results (2) “This short sentence contains a verb.” n N N • Test verb: – is it singular? YES – is it countable? YES (evidence: verbs) • Which word before it can’t be omitted? – a: can’t be omitted (*Short sentence …) – contains: not a candidate for determiner!!! Conclusion “This short sentence contains a verb.” n N n N • Tests are helpful if you’re not certain. • But any test, however mechanical, needs thought and sensitivity – e.g. don’t decide that contains is a determiner! • With practice tests become automatic.