simplenlg.phrasespec

Class VPPhraseSpec

java.lang.Object

simplenlg.framework.NLGElement

simplenlg.framework.PhraseElement

simplenlg.phrasespec.VPPhraseSpec

public class VPPhraseSpec
extends PhraseElement

This class defines a verb phrase. It is essentially a wrapper around the PhraseElement class, with methods for setting common constituents such as Objects. 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:

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

NOTE: If there is a complex verb group, a preModifer set at the VP level appears before the verb, while a preModifier set at the clause level appears before the verb group. Eg "Mary unfortunately will eat the apple" ("unfortunately" is clause preModifier) "Mary will happily eat the apple" ("happily" is VP preModifier)

NOTE: The setModifier method will attempt to automatically determine whether a modifier should be expressed as a 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 VPPhraseSpec include

• 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 VP features can be set on an SPhraseSpec, they will automatically be propogated to the VP VPPhraseSpec are produced by the createVerbPhrase 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
VPPhraseSpec(NLGFactory phraseFactory) create an empty clause

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
void	addModifier(Object modifier) Add a modifier to a verb phrase Use heuristics to decide where it goes
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	getVerb()
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	setVerb(Object verb) sets the verb (head) of a verb phrase.

Methods inherited from class simplenlg.framework.PhraseElement

addComplement, addComplement, addFrontModifier, addFrontModifier, addPostModifier, addPostModifier, addPreModifier, 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, getFeature, getFeatureAsBoolean, getFeatureAsDouble, getFeatureAsElement, getFeatureAsElementList, getFeatureAsFloat, getFeatureAsInteger, getFeatureAsList, getFeatureAsLong, getFeatureAsString, getFeatureAsStringList, getParent, getRealisation, getTense, hasFeature, isA, isNegated, isPlural, removeFeature, setCategory, setFactory, setFeature, setFeature, 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

VPPhraseSpec

public VPPhraseSpec(NLGFactory phraseFactory)

create an empty clause

Method Detail

setVerb

public void setVerb(Object verb)

sets the verb (head) of a verb phrase. Extract particle from verb if necessary

getVerb

public NLGElement getVerb()

Returns:

verb (head) of verb phrase

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 verb phrase Use heuristics to decide where it goes

Overrides:

addModifier in class PhraseElement