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cqp:practice-complex-queries [2024/01/21 00:37] – add link to CQP Collection aamoakuhcqp:practice-complex-queries [2024/06/20 13:53] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +**[ [[cqp:introduction|Collection: Introduction to CQP]] ]**
  
 +===== Formulating Complex Queries ===== 
 +
 +For some of these exercises, you will have to be familiar with the positional attributes of the BNC, for example the different //class//-tags or //pos//-tags. You can look them up in the info-file of the corpus, simply type ''info'' and press ''ENTER'' inside the BNC. For other exercises, you will have to generate frequency lists.
 +
 +If you need some more information about querying for positional different attributes, see the Wiki-page about [[cqp:complex-queries|Complex Queries]]  and  [[cqp:extending-queries-alternatives|Combinations of attributes and values]]. For more information on frequency lists, see this Wiki-page on [[cqp:frequency-lists|Frequency lists]].
 +
 +
 +==== Exercise 1 ==== 
 +
 +Formulate a query that matches all instances of any adjective followed by the lemma //snow// **or** //rain// (but only as nouns), ignoring case, in the BNC-BABY.
 +
 +==== Exercise 2 ==== 
 +
 +Formulate a query that finds only matches using the //going to//-future, avoiding other instances of "going to" in the BNC-BABY. 
 +
 +==== Exercise 3 ====
 +
 +Query only negated instances of the //about to//-construction in the BNC-BABY (e.g., "I'm not about to..."), using a suitable pos-tag. How many do you find?
 +
 +==== Exercise 4 ==== 
 +
 +  - Find all instances of the lemma //heart// occurring in the ''text_genre'' **academic medicine**. First, find out the exact name of the structural attribute in the info-file of the BNC, then use the command ''match''
 +  - Find all instances of the lemma occurring in the ''text_genre'' **prose**. Proceed as before. 
 +
 +Just from looking at the first 15 matches in each concordance, which common constructions do you see in the matches? 
 +
 +
 +==== Exercise 5 ==== 
 +
 +Query the English present perfect construction in the BNC-BABY without any words between auxiliary and past participle and create a frequency list of the participle verbs. Note that the frequency list should count lemmas. Be sure to ignore case. 
 +
 +(To match only verbs in the past participle form, you will have to have a look at the available pos-tags.) 
 +
 +What are the top-ten most frequent verbs in the construction?
 +
 +==== Exercise 6 ====
 +
 +Investigate the //drive someone X//-construction (e.g., "This was driving me mad") in the BNC. 
 +
 +Consider the following questions:
 +  - Which of the construction’s slots remain the same, which are variable?
 +  - What is the host class of the last slot, i.e., what class of words can be used after the pronoun?
 +  - What is the meaning of the construction?
 +
 +==== Exercise 7: Investigating synonymy ===== 
 +
 +Many dictionaries state that //venomous//, //toxic// and //poisonous// are synonyms. Are they interchangeable in all contexts?
 +
 +  - Create a query that finds //venomous// followed by a noun in the BNC-BABY.
 +  - Generate a case-insensitive frequency list of the nouns. 
 +  - Repeat for //toxic// and //poisonous//
 + 
 +Compare lists. What differences do you see?
 +
 +
 +==== Solutions ====
 +
 +Find the solutions here: [[cqp:practice-complex-queries-solutions|Complex Queries – Solutions]]
 +
 +==== More exercises ====
 +
 +Continue here: [[cqp:repetition-operators|6b. Queries with Repetition Operators (RegEx)]].

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