DAI 3com0015 Coursework II

This coursework is worth 10% of your final mark. It will be marked out of 40 and
scaled.
Submission date:. 12.00 Friday 9th December at Computer Science Reception
Expected hours of student effort 7 -8 hours
Deliverable
A critical assessment of the Link Grammar.
Introduction
The purpose of this coursework is
(i)
for you to investigate the use of a specific language processing application,
based on word rules.
(ii)
following on from this, and drawing from other knowledge, to assess the scope
and limitations of the Link parser
Part 1 Experiments with the Link Grammar
20 marks
Experiment with the suite of sentences attached as an appendix to this assignment,
and another 5 chosen by yourself. To do this go to http://www.link.cs.cmu.edu/link/
and click on 'parse' for experiments with the parser.
For each example, report on whether a satisfactory result was obtained. If a
grammatical sentence is input, a single correct parse should be output. If an
ungrammatical sentence is input a parse should not be generated. Note what language
features the grammar is able to model (only the first time it occurs). If the outcome is
not fully satisfactory explain why you think the system was not able to handle the
example.
You should focus on the phrase structure that is output, but may want to examine the
word linkage as well. You can copy some of the output into your report to illustrate
particular points (but use your common sense on what is an appropriate amount).
Part 2 A short report
20 marks
Write a short report, up to 1000 words, to assess the scope and limitations of the Link
parser, based on the previous experiments and other knowledge you may have. You
should cover the positive points, what the parser can achieve, and its failings. For the
latter you should consider whether or not the parser could be updated to address the
failings.

Appendix
Test sentences for experiments with the Link Grammar
When using the parser tick the three boxes: Show constituent tree. Allow null
links. Show all linkages.
Note number of linkages found. Ignore comments on cost.
Examine the phrase structure output.
1. The big black dog chased me.
2. I was chased by the big black dog.
3. I was chased by big dog.
4. Were you hurt?
5. Put it in the cupboard.
6. Put it in the wash.
7. A great reward for the best team.
8. While he read the timetable, I bought the tickets.
9. He cleaned the room with the curtains.
10. He ran up a hill.
11. He ran up a huge bill.
12. The girls dance and boys play the drums.
13. I went to a party on the boat.
14. I went to a party on the boat which did not end until the morning.
15. There are special offers to be announced before Christmas, so it is worth looking
out for further reductions.