simplenlg.features

Class Feature

java.lang.Object

simplenlg.features.Feature

public abstract class Feature
extends Object

This class defines a list of features which can be set up users of SimpleNLG. Note that there are three feature classes in SimpleNLG.

• Feature: features typically set up developers invoking SimpleNLG
• LexicalFeature: features typically set up the SimpleNLG lexicon
• InternalFeature: features typically used internally by SimpleNLG

Elements in the system can, in theory, take any kind of feature. Some features will only be expected by certain processors, however. Developers can define their own features but should choose names that do not conflict with those presented here.

The details for each feature are supplied in a table. The entries are:

Feature name	This is the name that will appear in the element's feature list as produced by the toString() method or by calling getAllFeatureNames
Expected type	As features are represented as a Map connecting a String and an Object then, in theory, a feature can take any object as a value. This table entry defines the type that the SimpleNLG system expects.
Created by	Defines where the feature is created. In addition, all features can be added specifically by users
Used by	Defines which processors use the feature.
Applies to	Defines which structural, syntactical or lexical elements this feature is applied to.
Default	Any default values attributed to the feature are given here.

Version:

4.0

Author:

E. Reiter and D. Westwater, University of Aberdeen.

Field Summary

Fields

Modifier and Type	Field and Description
static String	ADJECTIVE_ORDERING This feature determines if the adjectives should be reordered.
static String	AGGREGATE_AUXILIARY This feature determines if the auxiliary verbs in a clause should be aggregated.
static String	APPOSITIVE An appositive is a type of postmodifying phrase which is quasi-synonymous with, or a possible replacement of, the phrase it modifies.
static String	COMPLEMENTISER The complementiser is the word that joins a subordinate clause to the parent clause.
static String	CONJUNCTION This feature represents the word (or phrase) used for linking coordinated phrases together.
static String	CONJUNCTION_TYPE This feature represents the type of conjunction this coordination represents.
static String	CUE_PHRASE This feature represents the cue phrase of a sentence.
static String	ELIDED This features determines if the phrase is elided.
static String	EXCLAMATORY This features determines if the phrase should end with with a exclamatory or not.
static String	FORM This feature dictates the form that a verb takes.
static String	INTERROGATIVE_TYPE This feature determines the type of interrogative (question) used for the clause.
static String	IS_COMPARATIVE This flag determines if the Adjective or Adverb should be inflected into the comparative form.
static String	IS_SUPERLATIVE This flag determines if the Adjective or Adverb should be inflected into the superlative form.
static String	MODAL The modal represents the modal auxiliary verb that is used in a verb phrase to express mood or tense.
static String	NEGATED The flag determines if the corresponding verb phrase should be negated.
static String	NUMBER This feature is used to determine if the element is to be represented in singular or plural form.
static String	PARTICLE This feature represents a particle used in conjunction with a verb.
static String	PASSIVE This flag shows if the phrase or clause should be written in the passive form.
static String	PERFECT This flag shows if the phrase or clause should be written in the perfect form.
static String	PERSON This feature represents the first-person, second-person or third-person nature of the phrase.
static String	POSSESSIVE This flag shows if the noun phrase should be written in the possessive form.
static String	PROGRESSIVE This flag determines if the verb phrase should be constructed in the progressive form.
static String	PRONOMINAL This flag can be set for noun phrases where it is desirable to overwrite the subject with a suitable pronoun.
static String	RAISE_SPECIFIER This flag can be set when specifiers in a coordinated phrase should be raised.
static String	SUPPRESS_GENITIVE_IN_GERUND This flag is set when it is necessary to suppress the genitive when dealing with gerund forms.
static String	SUPRESSED_COMPLEMENTISER This flag determines if complementisers in subordinating clauses should be suppressed.
static String	TENSE This flag represents the tense or temporal quality of a verb.

Method Summary

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Field Detail

ADJECTIVE_ORDERING

public static final String ADJECTIVE_ORDERING

This feature determines if the adjectives should be reordered. Some lexicons might support the positioning of adjectives and by default, this order will be used. The user can override the ordering of adjectives by setting this feature to false.

Feature name	adjectiveOrdering
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	Set by the phrase factory on noun phrases. It can be overwritten by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor will reorder adjectives in the premodifiers list if this feature has a value of true.
Applies to	Noun phrases only.
Default	Boolean.TRUE

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Constant Field Values

AGGREGATE_AUXILIARY

public static final String AGGREGATE_AUXILIARY

This feature determines if the auxiliary verbs in a clause should be aggregated.

Feature name	aggregateAuxiliary
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	Needs to be manually set by user.
Used by	The syntax processor will remove the auxiliary verbs from clauses when this is set to true.
Applies to	Clauses only.
Default	Boolean.FALSE

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Constant Field Values

COMPLEMENTISER

public static final String COMPLEMENTISER

The complementiser is the word that joins a subordinate clause to the parent clause. For example, the two clauses: Timmy sang a song and moved Elizabeth to tears can be joined with the complementiser that to form: Timmy sang a song that moved Elizabeth to tears.

Feature name	complementiser
Expected type	Can take any NLGElement or a string. It is recommended to use InflectedWordElement as created by the PhraseFactory method createWord(...).
Created by	The default is created by the PhraseFactory when creating clauses.
Used by	The syntax processor uses the value of this feature when adding complements to subordinate clauses.
Applies to	Clauses only.
Default	"that" represented by an InflectedWordElement if a lexicon is used, otherwise a StringElement.

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Constant Field Values

CONJUNCTION

public static final String CONJUNCTION

This feature represents the word (or phrase) used for linking coordinated phrases together.

Feature name	conjunction
Expected type	A String.
Created by	CoordinatedPhraseElement creates this feature automatically. The user can overwrite the value.
Used by	The syntax processor constructs the correct syntax for the coordinated phrases.
Applies to	CoordinatedPhraseElements.
Default	null

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Constant Field Values

CONJUNCTION_TYPE

public static final String CONJUNCTION_TYPE

This feature represents the type of conjunction this coordination represents.

Feature name	conjunctionType
Expected type	ConjunctionType
Created by	CoordinatedPhraseElement sets this value automatically. It can be overwritten by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor constructs the correct syntax for the coordinated phrases.
Applies to	CoordinatedPhraseElements.
Default	ConjunctionType.COORDINATING

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Constant Field Values

APPOSITIVE

public static final String APPOSITIVE

An appositive is a type of postmodifying phrase which is quasi-synonymous with, or a possible replacement of, the phrase it modifies. A typical example occurs with NPs, e.g.: his house, a large villa, is on the hill where the phrase a large villa is an appositive postmodifier of his house. Note that appositives are usually realised surrounded by commas. Accordingly, this feature is primarily used by the orthography processor to determine whether commas should be placed around a postmodifying phrase.

Feature name	appositive
Expected type	boolean
Created by	The user.
Used by	The orthography processor to determine comma placement.
Applies to	Any phrase which is a postmodifier of another phrase.
Default	false or null

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Constant Field Values

CUE_PHRASE

public static final String CUE_PHRASE

This feature represents the cue phrase of a sentence. Cue phrases sometimes appear at the start of sentences. In the following example, however forms the cue phrase:
However, John played football instead.

Feature name	cuePhrase
Expected type	NLGElement
Created by	Cue phrases need to be specifically added by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor places the cue phrase at the start of a sentence.
Applies to	Sentences.
Default	null

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Constant Field Values

ELIDED

public static final String ELIDED

This features determines if the phrase is elided. Elided phrases are omitted from the final realisation.

Feature name	isElided
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	The feature needs to be set by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor removes elided phrases.
Applies to	Noun phrases only.
Default	Boolean.FALSE

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Constant Field Values

EXCLAMATORY

public static final String EXCLAMATORY

This features determines if the phrase should end with with a exclamatory or not.

Feature name	isElided
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	The feature needs to be set by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor removes elided phrases.
Applies to	Sentences.
Default	Boolean.FALSE

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Constant Field Values

FORM

public static final String FORM

This feature dictates the form that a verb takes.

Feature name	form
Expected type	Form
Created by	Initially created by the phrase factory when constructing verb phrases. The user is free to set the value accordingly.
Used by	The syntax processor set the form on sentences to be the same as that from the containing verb phrase. The syntax processor will also check a verb's form for the addition of supporting words such as will and to. The morphology processor uses the form to determine the actual inflection of the verb to be used.
Applies to	Nouns, verbs noun phrases and verb phrases.
Default	Form.NORMAL

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Constant Field Values

INTERROGATIVE_TYPE

public static final String INTERROGATIVE_TYPE

This feature determines the type of interrogative (question) used for the clause.

Feature name	interrogativeType
Expected type	InterrogativeType
Created by	The user must set this value.
Used by	The syntax processor uses this feature to correctly structure interrogative clauses.
Applies to	Clauses only.
Default	null.

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Constant Field Values

IS_COMPARATIVE

public static final String IS_COMPARATIVE

This flag determines if the Adjective or Adverb should be inflected into the comparative form. For example, the comparative form for early is earlier, the comparative form of big is bigger.

Feature name	isComparative
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	The user.
Used by	The morphology processor to correctly inflect the word.
Applies to	Adjectives and adverbs only
Default	Boolean.FALSE.

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Constant Field Values

IS_SUPERLATIVE

public static final String IS_SUPERLATIVE

This flag determines if the Adjective or Adverb should be inflected into the superlative form. For example, the comparative form for early is earliest, the superlative form of big is biggest.

Feature name	isSuperlative
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	The user.
Used by	The morphology processor to correctly inflect the word.
Applies to	Adjectives and adverbs only
Default	Boolean.FALSE.

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Constant Field Values

MODAL

public static final String MODAL

The modal represents the modal auxiliary verb that is used in a verb phrase to express mood or tense. The English modals are: can, may, must, ought, shall, should, will and would.

Feature name	modal
Expected type	String
Created by	The user.
Used by	The syntax processor adds modals into the structure.
Applies to	Clauses, coordinated phrases and verb phrases. In the case of clauses and coordinated phrases, the modal is passed on to the underlying verb phrase.
Default	null.

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Constant Field Values

NEGATED

public static final String NEGATED

The flag determines if the corresponding verb phrase should be negated. For example, negating the clause John kissed Mary results in the clause John did not kiss Mary.

Feature name	isNegated
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	The user.
Used by	The syntax processor, which will correctly add in all necessary auxiliary verbs.
Applies to	Clauses, coordinated phrases and verb phrases. In the case of clauses and coordinated phrases, the modal is passed on to the underlying verb phrase. Applying negation to a coordinated phase will negate all the coordinates.
Default	Boolean.FALSE.

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Constant Field Values

NUMBER

public static final String NUMBER

This feature is used to determine if the element is to be represented in singular or plural form.

Feature name	number
Expected type	NumberAgreement
Created by	The phrase factory will create the number in certain cases, mostly in dealing with pronouns. However, with supporting lexicons a word such as dogs will be correctly identified as the plural form of dog. The user can also set this feature.
Used by	The syntax processor ensures number agreement across phrases and clauses, while the morphology processor uses the feature to pluralise words.
Applies to	Clauses, coordinated phrases, noun phrases and verb phrases.
Default	NumberAgreement.SINGULAR.

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Constant Field Values

PARTICLE

public static final String PARTICLE

This feature represents a particle used in conjunction with a verb. For example, the verb phrases fall down and look up have particles of down and up respectively.

Feature name	particle
Expected type	String or NLGElement
Created by	The phrase factory will automatically check verbs to see if they contain more than one word. In such a case, the first word becomes the verb while additional words form the particle. The user can also explicitly specify a particle
Used by	The syntax processor adds particles into the structure.
Applies to	Verb phrases only.
Default	null.

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Constant Field Values

PASSIVE

public static final String PASSIVE

This flag shows if the phrase or clause should be written in the passive form. For example, the clause the cat ate the mouse can be written in the passive form as the mouse was eaten by the cat.

Feature name	isPassive
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	User defined.
Used by	The syntax processor uses the passive feature to determine the correct ordering of subjects and objects in a clause. It also adds in additional auxiliary verbs to verb phrases, such as was in the above example. The morphology processor will change pronouns of noun phrases into passive form.
Applies to	Clauses, noun phrases and verb phrases.
Default	Boolean.FALSE.

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Constant Field Values

PERFECT

public static final String PERFECT

This flag shows if the phrase or clause should be written in the perfect form. The perfect aspect is normally formed from the auxiliary verb to have followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example, the phrase the cat eats the mouse would have the present perfect form of the cat has eaten the mouse.

Feature name	isPerfect
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	User defined.
Used by	The syntax processor adds in additional auxiliary verbs to verb phrases, and alters the form of the main verb.
Applies to	Verbs and verb phrases.
Default	Boolean.FALSE.

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Constant Field Values

PERSON

public static final String PERSON

This feature represents the first-person, second-person or third-person nature of the phrase. This predominantly affects pronouns such as I, you and they but some verbs will also be modified depending on the person of reference. For example, kiss is used as the present tense for first and second person (I kiss Mary and you kiss Mary) while kisses is used for third person ( he kisses Mary).

Feature name	person
Expected type	Person
Created by	Will be set automatically by the phrase factory when personal pronouns are identified. May also be set by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor does some basic checking on the person-nature of phrases while the morphology processor will correctly inflect pronouns and verbs.
Applies to	Clauses, coordinated phrases, noun phrases and verb phrases.
Default	Person.THIRD.

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Constant Field Values

POSSESSIVE

public static final String POSSESSIVE

This flag shows if the noun phrase should be written in the possessive form. The possessive form of a noun is usually formed from the noun with 's added to the end. For example, dog has a possessive form dog's . Certain personal pronouns follow different rules, the possessive form of I is mine, you is yours.

Feature name	isPossessive
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	User defined.
Used by	The syntax processor correctly defines the possessive on noun phrases that contain more than one subject (we say John and Mary's not John's and Mary's ). The morphology processor correctly inflects the possessive forms of nouns and pronouns.
Applies to	Clauses, coordinated phrases and noun phrases.
Default	Boolean.FALSE in most cases or for pronouns it is dependent on the pronoun form used.

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Constant Field Values

PRONOMINAL

public static final String PRONOMINAL

This flag can be set for noun phrases where it is desirable to overwrite the subject with a suitable pronoun.

Feature name	isPronominal
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	User defined.
Used by	The syntax processor will replace the subject of a noun phrase with a suitable personal pronoun.
Applies to	Noun phrases only.
Default	Boolean.FALSE.

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Constant Field Values

PROGRESSIVE

public static final String PROGRESSIVE

This flag determines if the verb phrase should be constructed in the progressive form. For example, the progressive form of John kisses Mary is John is kissing Mary.

Feature name	progressive
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	Set by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor adds in required auxiliary verbs when dealing with the progressive form.
Applies to	Clauses, coordinated phrases and verb phrases only.
Default	Boolean.FALSE.

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Constant Field Values

RAISE_SPECIFIER

public static final String RAISE_SPECIFIER

This flag can be set when specifiers in a coordinated phrase should be raised. For example, the coordinated phrase my cat and my dog can have its specifiers raised becoming my cat and dog.

Feature name	raiseSpecifier
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	User defined.
Used by	The syntax processor to correctly add or remove specifiers.
Applies to	Coordinated phrases only.
Default	Boolean.FALSE

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Constant Field Values

SUPPRESS_GENITIVE_IN_GERUND

public static final String SUPPRESS_GENITIVE_IN_GERUND

This flag is set when it is necessary to suppress the genitive when dealing with gerund forms.

Feature name	suppressGenitive
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	The user.
Used by	The syntax processor will set subjects to be possessive when dealing with the gerund form unless this flag is set.
Applies to	Clauses only.
Default	Boolean.FALSE

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Constant Field Values

SUPRESSED_COMPLEMENTISER

public static final String SUPRESSED_COMPLEMENTISER

This flag determines if complementisers in subordinating clauses should be suppressed.

Feature name	isSuppressedComplementiser
Expected type	Boolean
Created by	The phrase factory sets some defaults but can be overridden by the user.
Used by	The syntax processor will ignore suppressed complementisers on subordinating clauses.
Applies to	Clauses and coordinated phrases.
Default	Boolean.FALSE for clauses or Boolean.TRUE on clauses when added to a coordinated phrase.

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Constant Field Values

TENSE

public static final String TENSE

This flag represents the tense or temporal quality of a verb.

Feature name	tense
Expected type	Tense
Created by	The user.
Used by	The syntax processor ensures tense on phrases, clauses and coordinated phrases is passed on to the underlying verb phrases. The morphology processor uses the tese to correctly inflect verbs.
Applies to	Clauses, coordinated phrases and verb phrases.
Default	Tense.PRESENT.

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Constant Field Values