Download Using Regular expressions for searching with AntConc.

Inglés Autmática y Electrotecnia
E.T.S.I.I.
Segundo cuatrimestre
Using Regular expressions for searching with AntConc.
If you are interested in regular expressions and their use you can get the basics at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expression and http://docs.python.org/lib/re-syntax.html
You need to use the software AntConc in the „Software“ folder. Any of the versions will do. This
software does not need any installation. It will run by double clicking on its icon.
For doing all the searches with the regular expressions click on the menu „File“ and select the
option „Open Dir“. From there move to either the „cartas&memos“ directory or the „text_gen“.
Remember that the first directory only contains texts of letters and memoranda and the
second one contains all types of texts and contains more than 1 million words. As a
convention, to indicate a blank space between characters I will use „_“ (underscore).
Now, below and between „Files Processed“ and the button „Start“, tick on the box „Regex“.
This enables the search using the regular expressions that you are going to type for reviewing
the grammar. By clicking on the blue lettering of the results you are taken to the full text. By
clicking on the „Concordancer“ tab you are taken back to the list of examples.
You can find some examples of use of tverbs with the following patterns (
grasp  _grasp[/ed|ing|s/]+_
hold  _/hold|holds|holding|held|/+_ (some of the meanings are different from the one
learnt in unit 1
seize  _seize[a-z]+_ (the meaning in this case will be either „confiscar“ or „retener“)
there are no other examples of the verbs meaning hold. You can try similar patterns with other
verbs from the unit vocabulary.
Try the following comparison patterns separating each element with a blank space:
_ as _[a-z]+ _ as _
Prof. Ismael Arinas Pellón
_ not as _ [a-z]+ _ as _
DLACT – search_regex.pdf
_ just as _ [a-z]+ _ as _
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Inglés Autmática y Electrotecnia
E.T.S.I.I.
Segundo cuatrimestre
_ same _ [a-z]+ _ as _
_ [a-z]+er _ than _
_ more _ [a-z]+ _ than _
_ less _ [a-z]+ _ than _
_ [a-z]+est _
_ [/our|the/]+ _ [a-z]+est _
For the last six patterns you may obtain many examples without an adjective for comparing.
Pay attention to the meaning. The last pattern will give you a couple of wrong examples.
Try to find the other comparative expressions without the regular expressions (remember to tick
off the „regex“ function for these searches without a pattern).
Unit 1: try searching the vocabulary without the patterns (nouns, adjectives, adverbs) and with
the patterns (verbs). (for regular patterns look at the pattern for grasp, and for irregular at the
pattern for hold).
(number) out of (number)  _ (0-9)+ _ out of _ (0-9)+_
(number) in (number)  _ (0-9)+ _ in (0-9)+ _
Example of a search with a verb followed by an infinitive: _ aim[/s|ed|ing/]+ _ to _
Example of a search with a verb followed by a noun / pronoun and an infinitive:
_ cause _ [a-z]+ _ to _ (use as many [a-z]+ as you need to represent words in between)
Example of verbs followed by „ing“: _consider[a-]+ _ [a-z]+ing _
Check without patterns those verbs which may take both types of infinitive.
Unit 4: see if you can find examples of the unit vocabulary without patterns and see if they
have words which typically combine with them.
Example of command verb: _ insist[/s|ed|ing]+ _ that _
try searches with adjectives (advisable to, desirable to, important to, etc.)
Example of a search with possible: (without patters type possible for)
Example of a search with may / might: (without patterns type the verbs and select those
examples that are subjunctive in Spanish).
Examples of searches with hypothetical conditions: _ [I|i]+f _ [a-z]+ _ [a-z]+ _ [a-z]+ed _
select from the examples obtained those which correspond to the If + subject + verb in the
simple past structure. And make sure the Spanish translation corresponds to a subjunctive.
For examples with time subordinate sentences make your searches without patterns and using
time connectors (as soon as, when, while, before, after, etc.) Notice that some of the time
connectors have other meanings and therefore some of the examples will be irrelevant.
Check which relevant examples are with the subjunctive in Spanish.
With should you will get 2750 examples (searching without a pattern). Find possible patterns
that reduce the number of irrelevant examples.
Example of consequence search: _ so _ [a-z]+ _ that _
_ such a _ [a-z]+ _ [a-z]+ _ that _
The rest of consequence searches can be carried out without patterns.
Unit 9: For searching conditional sentences corresponding to the patterns found in unit 9 you
can try _ [I|i]+f _ as the present does not have a typical ending. Then select those examples
which correspond to the structures explained in this unit.
Prof. Ismael Arinas Pellón
DLACT – search_regex.pdf
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