Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!pavo.csi.cam.ac.uk!rit10
From: rit10@cl.cam.ac.uk (Richard Tucker)
Subject: Re: Case based Int-Fiction parsers
Message-ID: <1993Nov16.133234.15384@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
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Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1993 13:32:34 GMT
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In article <2c9gi9$usa@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, dunham@cl-next4 (Steve Dunham) writes:
|> 
|> There are 3 ways to use verbs in English: Transitive, Intransitive,
|> and Bitransitive.

You mean 'ditransitive', I think.

|> 
|> intransitive is when the verb doesn't take an object, e.g.
|> 
|> 	> leave
|> 
|> transitive is when the verb takes one object, the direct object, e.g.
|> 
|> 	> drop the box
|> 
|> bitransitive is when the verb takes two objects, the direct and
|> indirect objects,
|> 
|> 	> give the dog a bone
|> 

These are indeed three verb types in English, but there are loads more
not just using noun phrases after the verb, most of which are ignored
by the average adventure parser. For example:

a> paint the wall red           (NP + ADJ)
b> turn the tv on               (NP + PART)
c> curl up                      (PART)
d> curl up small                (PART + ADJ)
e> pretend to be dead           (INF)
f> tell her to be quiet         (NP + INF)
g> suggest going north to robot (ING + to + NP)

etc, etc. I'd have thought a-d could be handles by modern IF, but e-d
are perhaps too complicated.

Richard/
