Practical Grammar 7 new

Prepositional Phrases: explaining the complex annotation

The textbook contains a c-structure rule for VP like the following:

1. VP → V          PP
       ↑=↓   (↑ (↓ PCASE)) = ↓

Presently, xlfg cannot handle complex annotations like that of the PP. Therefore, we will simplify the rule as follows:

2. VP → V          PP
       ↑=↓     (↑OBL) = ↓ 

This means that all PPs that combine with verbs bear the grammatical function OBL(IQUE).

2. translates into xlfg as follows:

3. VP → V PP
2. {
3. ↑=↓1;
4. (↑OBL) = ↓
5. }

Exercise 7.1

1. Open your latest grammar.
2. Change all your VP rules that have a PP on the right so that the annotation on the PP is: (↑OBL) = ↓ . 3. Add the prepositions to on on to your lexicon as follows:

to P
[PCASE: OBL_REC]

on P
[PCASE: OBL_LOC]

4. Add the following test items:

a. Oscar donated clothes to charity
b. Robin put food on the table

5. Parse.

Exercise 7.2