simplenlg.phrasespec

Class SPhraseSpec

java.lang.Object

simplenlg.framework.NLGElement

simplenlg.framework.PhraseElement

simplenlg.phrasespec.SPhraseSpec

public class SPhraseSpec
extends PhraseElement

This class defines a clause (sentence-like phrase). It is essentially a wrapper around the PhraseElement class, with methods for setting common constituents such as Subject. For example, the setVerb method in this class sets the head of the element to be the specified verb

From an API perspective, this class is a simplified version of the SPhraseSpec class in simplenlg V3. It provides an alternative way for creating syntactic structures, compared to directly manipulating a V4 PhraseElement.

Methods are provided for setting and getting the following constituents:

• FrontModifier (eg, "Yesterday")
• Subject (eg, "John")
• PreModifier (eg, "reluctantly")
• Verb (eg, "gave")
• IndirectObject (eg, "Mary")
• Object (eg, "an apple")
• PostModifier (eg, "before school")

Note that verb, indirect object, and object are propagated to the underlying verb phrase

NOTE: The setModifier method will attempt to automatically determine whether a modifier should be expressed as a FrontModifier, PreModifier, or PostModifier

Features (such as negated) must be accessed via the setFeature and getFeature methods (inherited from NLGElement). Features which are often set on SPhraseSpec include

• Form (eg, "John eats an apple" vs "John eating an apple")
• InterrogativeType (eg, "John eats an apple" vs "Is John eating an apple" vs "What is John eating")
• Modal (eg, "John eats an apple" vs "John can eat an apple")
• Negated (eg, "John eats an apple" vs "John does not eat an apple")
• Passive (eg, "John eats an apple" vs "An apple is eaten by John")
• Perfect (eg, "John ate an apple" vs "John has eaten an apple")
• Progressive (eg, "John eats an apple" vs "John is eating an apple")
• Tense (eg, "John ate" vs "John eats" vs "John will eat")

Note that most features are propagated to the underlying verb phrase Premodifers are also propogated to the underlying VP SPhraseSpec are produced by the createClause method of a PhraseFactory

Version:

4.1

Author:

E. Reiter, University of Aberdeen.

Field Summary

Fields inherited from class simplenlg.framework.NLGElement

features

Constructor Summary

Constructors

Constructor and Description
SPhraseSpec(NLGFactory phraseFactory) create an empty clause

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
void	addComplement(NLGElement complement) Adds a new complement to the phrase element.
void	addComplement(String newComplement) Adds a new complement to the phrase element.
void	addModifier(Object modifier) Add a modifier to a clause Use heuristics to decide where it goes
void	addPreModifier(NLGElement newPreModifier) Adds a new pre-modifier to the phrase element.
Object	getFeature(String featureName) Retrieves the value of the feature.
NLGElement	getIndirectObject() Returns the indirect object of a clause (assumes there is only one)
NLGElement	getObject() Returns the direct object of a clause (assumes there is only one)
NLGElement	getSubject() Returns the subject of a clause (assumes there is only one)
NLGElement	getVerb() Returns the verb of a clause
NLGElement	getVerbPhrase()
void	setFeature(String featureName, boolean featureValue) A convenience method for setting boolean features.
void	setFeature(String featureName, Object featureValue) adds a feature, possibly to the underlying VP as well as the SPhraseSpec itself
void	setIndirectObject(Object indirectObject) Set the indirect object of a clause (assumes this is the only direct indirect object)
void	setObject(Object object) Sets the direct object of a clause (assumes this is the only direct object)
void	setSubject(Object subject) Sets the subject of a clause (assumes this is the only subject)
void	setVerb(Object verb) Set the verb of a clause
void	setVerbPhrase(NLGElement vp)

Methods inherited from class simplenlg.framework.PhraseElement

addFrontModifier, addFrontModifier, addPostModifier, addPostModifier, addPreModifier, clearComplements, getChildren, getFrontModifiers, getHead, getPostModifiers, getPreModifiers, printTree, setComplement, setComplement, setDeterminer, setFrontModifier, setFrontModifier, setHead, setPostModifier, setPostModifier, setPreModifier, setPreModifier

Methods inherited from class simplenlg.framework.NLGElement

clearAllFeatures, equals, equals, getAllFeatureNames, getAllFeatures, getCategory, getFactory, getFeatureAsBoolean, getFeatureAsDouble, getFeatureAsElement, getFeatureAsElementList, getFeatureAsFloat, getFeatureAsInteger, getFeatureAsList, getFeatureAsLong, getFeatureAsString, getFeatureAsStringList, getParent, getRealisation, getTense, hasFeature, isA, isNegated, isPlural, removeFeature, setCategory, setFactory, setFeature, setFeature, setFeature, setFeature, setNegated, setParent, setPlural, setRealisation, setTense, toString

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

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

Constructor Detail

SPhraseSpec

public SPhraseSpec(NLGFactory phraseFactory)

create an empty clause

Method Detail

setFeature

public void setFeature(String featureName,
                       Object featureValue)

adds a feature, possibly to the underlying VP as well as the SPhraseSpec itself

Overrides:

setFeature in class NLGElement

Parameters:

featureName - the name of the feature.

featureValue - the new value of the feature or null if the feature is to be removed.

See Also:

NLGElement.setFeature(java.lang.String, java.lang.Object)

addPreModifier

public void addPreModifier(NLGElement newPreModifier)

Description copied from class: PhraseElement

Adds a new pre-modifier to the phrase element.

Overrides:

addPreModifier in class PhraseElement

Parameters:

newPreModifier - the new pre-modifier as an NLGElement.

addComplement

public void addComplement(NLGElement complement)

Description copied from class: PhraseElement

Adds a new complement to the phrase element. Complements will be realised in the syntax after the head element of the phrase. Complements differ from post-modifiers in that complements are crucial to the understanding of a phrase whereas post-modifiers are optional.

If the new complement being added is a clause or a CoordinatedPhraseElement then its clause status feature is set to ClauseStatus.SUBORDINATE and it's discourse function is set to DiscourseFunction.OBJECT by default unless an existing discourse function exists on the complement.

Complements can have different functions. For example, the phrase John gave Mary a flower has two complements, one a direct object and one indirect. If a complement is not specified for its discourse function, then this is automatically set to DiscourseFunction.OBJECT.

Overrides:

addComplement in class PhraseElement

Parameters:

complement - the new complement as an NLGElement.

addComplement

public void addComplement(String newComplement)

Description copied from class: PhraseElement

Adds a new complement to the phrase element. Complements will be realised in the syntax after the head element of the phrase. Complements differ from post-modifiers in that complements are crucial to the understanding of a phrase whereas post-modifiers are optional.

Overrides:

addComplement in class PhraseElement

Parameters:

newComplement - the new complement as a String. It is used to create a StringElement.

setFeature

public void setFeature(String featureName,
                       boolean featureValue)

Description copied from class: NLGElement

A convenience method for setting boolean features.

Overrides:

setFeature in class NLGElement

Parameters:

featureName - the name of the feature.

featureValue - the boolean value of the feature.

getFeature

public Object getFeature(String featureName)

Description copied from class: NLGElement

Retrieves the value of the feature.

Overrides:

getFeature in class NLGElement

Parameters:

featureName - the name of the feature.

Returns:

the Object value of the feature.

getVerbPhrase

public NLGElement getVerbPhrase()

Returns:

VP for this clause

setVerbPhrase

public void setVerbPhrase(NLGElement vp)

setVerb

public void setVerb(Object verb)

Set the verb of a clause

getVerb

public NLGElement getVerb()

Returns the verb of a clause

Returns:

verb of clause

setSubject

public void setSubject(Object subject)

Sets the subject of a clause (assumes this is the only subject)

getSubject

public NLGElement getSubject()

Returns the subject of a clause (assumes there is only one)

Returns:

subject of clause (assume only one)

setObject

public void setObject(Object object)

Sets the direct object of a clause (assumes this is the only direct object)

getObject

public NLGElement getObject()

Returns the direct object of a clause (assumes there is only one)

Returns:

subject of clause (assume only one)

setIndirectObject

public void setIndirectObject(Object indirectObject)

Set the indirect object of a clause (assumes this is the only direct indirect object)

getIndirectObject

public NLGElement getIndirectObject()

Returns the indirect object of a clause (assumes there is only one)

Returns:

subject of clause (assume only one)

addModifier

public void addModifier(Object modifier)

Add a modifier to a clause Use heuristics to decide where it goes

Overrides:

addModifier in class PhraseElement