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From: zohrab_p@actrix.gen.nz (Peter Zohrab)
Subject: Re: [Q] Definitions of grammatical terms
Message-ID: <Cy57E4.MAD@actrix.gen.nz>
Organization: Actrix Networks Ltd, Wellington New Zealand
References: <3861gc$1sa@hpcan240.mentorg.com> <387e8s$bsu@hobbes.cc.uga.edu>
Date: Sun, 23 Oct 1994 20:25:15 GMT
Lines: 42

In article <387e8s$bsu@hobbes.cc.uga.edu>,
Michael Covington <mcovingt@ai.uga.edu> wrote:
> Shahram Najm @ ETC (shahramn@wv.mentorg.com) wrote:
> 
> : Could someone please DEFINE for me the following terms:
> 
> 
> :   Clause
> :   Phrase
> :   Predicate
> 
> : as used in grammars for natural languages.
> : Many thanks in advance.
> 
> Actually, you'll get pretty good definitions of these things from a dictionary,
> since dictionaries are written by linguists.
> 
> Clause = a sentence, either standing alone or within another sentence.
>     For example, the sentence
>         [ [ That he succeeded ] is amazing ]
>     has a clause within a clause, as shown by the brackets.
> 
> Phrase = any sequence of adjacent words that forms a grammatical unit;
>    a constituent.  For example, in "the dog chased the cat", "the dog"
>    is a phrase (a noun phrase to be precise) but "chased the" is not
>    a phrase.

N.B. there also is, or used to be a definition of a phrase, whereby no 
clause was considered to be a phrase.  The above, post-Chomskyan 
definition, includes clauses in the concept "phrase".

Peter Zohrab.
> 
> --
> < Michael A. Covington, Assc Rsch Scientist, Artificial Intelligence Center >
> < The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7415 USA  mcovingt@ai.uga.edu >
> < Unless specifically indicated, I am not speaking for the University. >  <><
> > "To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see them." -C.S. Lewis <
> 


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