This detector is designed to detect information structure of sentences.
It can help to detect certain low frequency word combinations
that are likely to be identified as unnatural. These unnatural or marked expressions, however,
may be correct according to pedagogic grammars. The detector is able to analyse information flow,
information focus and end weight in each given sentence of the input text.
If you would like to learn more about information structure, see the paper Incorporating information structure in the EAP curriculum.
Information Flow
Show information flow (sentential only) by identifying whether consecutive subjects are same, derived (occur in rheme of previous sentence) or different.
By comparing grammatical subjects (GS), non-grammatical subject (NGS), and associated synonyms in sentence n with sentence n+1 we detect Constant theme if GSn = GSn+1, Linear theme
if NGSn = GSn+1 and Ruptured theme in all other cases. We also identify whether a finite verb is in passive voice.
Information Focus
Given-new
Given information is already known by the reader and it usually precedes new information. E.g. Joey is my name (New/Given) cf. My name is Joey (Given/New).
Emphasis: Fronting
Identify adverbials that are fronted (i.e. occur before grammatical subject) and estimate that the usage is marked (i.e. highly infrequent) - labelled Fronted adverbial (marked) or Fronted adverbial (unmarked) otherwise.
End Weight
Sentential rank
We label the sentence as End weight (Sentence), if the number of tokens following finite verb is far greater than the number of tokens preceding it.
If the number of tokens preceding finite verb is far greater, we label it as Front heavy (Sentence).
Clause rank
We label the sentence as End weight (Adverbial), if the number of tokens in each sequential adverbial group is increasing.
If it is declining, we label it as Front heavy (Adverbial).
Adverbial rank
We label the complex or compound/complex sentence as End weight (Clause), if the number of tokens in each sequential clause is increasing.
If it is declining, we label it as Front heavy (Clause).
Extraposition (cataphoric pronouns)
Search for a pattern “It is ADJECTIVE + (that clause | to + verb)” to detect an Empty subject.