I continued to consider "tests" for determining Degree/Quant in some ambiguous cases. I've used Nathan's suggested test below, and although it doesn't quite match up with my own intuitions in some cases, it does lead to a more conservative treatment that defaults to Degree. Please skim explanation, examples below and weigh in.
When to use Have-Degree-91 vs. Have-Quant-91
In general, Have-Degree-91 is used with gradeable properties, often expressed as an adjective (taller, less powerful, most totalitarian, etc) or adverb (more quickly, further). Have-Quant-91 is used with clear quantities of things, and those things are generally expressed as nouns and a quantifier (more money, less oversight, the most cars). Nonetheless, there can be some ambiguous overlap between the two. This list is meant to provide illustrative examples of when to use each. At the most basic level, consider: Is it a property or a quantity under discussion? If uncertain, Have-Degree-91 is a more general roleset than Have-Quant-91, so the default should beHave-Degree-91.
This test may be helpful in cases where the potential property/quantity word is ambiguous: the word should be modifiable by “many” or “much” if appropriate for Have-Quant-91:
e.g.:
The girl is taller than the boy *the girl is much/many tall Have-Degree-91
He bought as much beer as he could carry He bought much beer Have-Quant-91
Unfortunately, the product of the papver somniferum plant has far more monetary value on the black market than when sold to legitimate pharmaceutical manufacturers. The product has … much monetary value… Have-Quant-91
He argues that there is a shortage of painkilling medication, particularly in poor, third world countries, and that afghanistan could supply the needed poppies at a lower price than commercially produced painkillers. *at a much/many low price Have-Degree-91
The total of 18 deaths from malignant mesothelioma , lung cancer and asbestosis was far higher than expected , the researchers said . *The total of 18 deaths…was much/many high Have-Degree-91
People like you have done more to screw this country up than "the democrats" could ever have hoped to do. …done much to screw this country up Have-Quant-91
Examples:
the girl is taller than the boy – Have-Degree-91
She works for UBS, the biggest bank in Switzerland. - Have-Degree-91
Texas is the second largest state in the U.S. – Have-Degree-91
He runs as fast as lightning. - Have-Degree-91
North Korea is the most totalitarian country in the world. - Have-Degree-91
The finding probably will support those who argue that the U.S. should regulate the class of asbestos including crocidolite more stringently than the common kind of asbestos , chrysotile , found in most schools and other buildings , Dr. Talcott said . - Have-Degree-91
President Bush on the other hand continues to claim the economy is strong, not as strong as it could be but strong nonetheless. - Have-Degree-91
@.secondchance, I think that drugs can have positives but I think that they'll rarely come without negatives and whether or not it's a net positive is hard for anyone to tell, most of all the user. - Have-Degree-91
And sometime, when I'm in a better general mood than I am right now, I'd like to try LSD or one of its relatives, maybe magic mushrooms. - Have-Degree-91
Memory is less of a problem than speed. - Have-Degree-91 i.e. “less problematic”
The behaviour of Australian cricket fans is of more concern than the thousands of spirited Barmy Army members set to descend upon our shores for this summer's Ashes series, say Victoria's police. - Have-Degree-91
I'm trying to pay as little attention to this case as possible, because I think it's more a freak show than anything else. - Have-Degree-91
He traveled as far as India. - Have-Degree-91
The total of 18 deaths from malignant mesothelioma , lung cancer and asbestosis was far higher than expected , the researchers said . - Have-Degree-91
The percentage of lung cancer deaths among the workers at the West Groton , Mass. , paper factory appears to be the highest for any asbestos workers studied in Western industrialized countries , he said . - Have-Degree-91
he argues that there is a shortage of painkilling medication, particularly in poor, third world countries, and that afghanistan could supply the needed poppies at a lower price than commercially produced painkillers. - Have-Degree-91
He sold as many cars as his competitor. – Have-Quant-91
He bought as much beer as he could carry. - Have-Quant-91
People like you have done more to screw this country up than "the democrats" could ever have hoped to do. - Have-Quant-91
Unfortunately, the product of the papver somniferum plant has far more monetary value on the black market than when sold to legitimate pharmaceutical manufacturers. - Have-Quant-91
Note that the test seems problematic for constructions that in the non-comparative form seem to make a copular construction without further transformation:
Memory is less of a problem than speed. (--> memory is a problem)
The behaviour of Australian cricket fans is of more concern than the thousands...
These can be rephrased in the current, comparative form with "much": Memory is much less...
and it's not very clear what the non-comparative form should be. I'm inclined to think of it more as a adjective predicate, and this gives us a degree reading:
Memory is problematic --> *Memory is much problematic --> Have-degree-91
The behavior is concerning --> *the behavior is much concerning --> Have-degree-91.
These may be problematic for annotators, but perhaps just including a couple of examples like this is ok.
I continued to consider "tests" for determining Degree/Quant in some ambiguous cases. I've used Nathan's suggested test below, and although it doesn't quite match up with my own intuitions in some cases, it does lead to a more conservative treatment that defaults to Degree. Please skim explanation, examples below and weigh in.
When to use Have-Degree-91 vs. Have-Quant-91
In general, Have-Degree-91 is used with gradeable properties, often expressed as an adjective (taller, less powerful, most totalitarian, etc) or adverb (more quickly, further). Have-Quant-91 is used with clear quantities of things, and those things are generally expressed as nouns and a quantifier (more money, less oversight, the most cars). Nonetheless, there can be some ambiguous overlap between the two. This list is meant to provide illustrative examples of when to use each. At the most basic level, consider: Is it a property or a quantity under discussion? If uncertain, Have-Degree-91 is a more general roleset than Have-Quant-91, so the default should beHave-Degree-91.
This test may be helpful in cases where the potential property/quantity word is ambiguous: the word should be modifiable by “many” or “much” if appropriate for Have-Quant-91: e.g.:
Examples:
Note that the test seems problematic for constructions that in the non-comparative form seem to make a copular construction without further transformation:
These can be rephrased in the current, comparative form with "much": Memory is much less... and it's not very clear what the non-comparative form should be. I'm inclined to think of it more as a adjective predicate, and this gives us a degree reading:
These may be problematic for annotators, but perhaps just including a couple of examples like this is ok.