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G
G connects proper nouns together in series.
+--G---+---G--+--G--+
| | | |
George Herbert Walker Bush is here
Any number of proper nouns may thus be strung together
to make a proper noun phrase. The last noun in the sequence
then serves as the head of the phrase.
G is only used for the linking of proper nouns. When proper
nouns (or common nouns) modify common nouns - "The Dole proposal"
- AN is used.
Proper nouns are not generally listed in the dictionary;
rather, they are treated as generic "CAPITALIZED-WORDS". Thus
Any word, when capitalized, may be used as a proper noun: "I
saw The today". "I had lunch with And Of From Smith." The
exception is at the beginning of sentences. A word which is
listed in the dictionary in an uncapitalized form, and which
is used at the beginning of a sentence, will be treated only
as an uncapitalized form (although it might in theory be
intended as a proper noun). We had to do this, otherwise EVERY
word beginning a sentence would be a potential proper noun -
which would be ridiculous. ("*The died" would be accepted.)
However: certain words are common uncapitalized words, but are
also used as names, and thus should be recognized as names at
the beginning of sentences: "Bill", "Pat", "Sue", etc.. A
special category was created for these.
Numbers are rarely used as proper nouns phrases, although they
occasionally are ("301 is a great class", "I live in 509").
We do not allow this, since it would create a huge number of
false positives. However, numbers are sometimes used as part
of a multi-word proper noun expressions: "Fahrenheit 451",
"Die Hard 3", etc.. Therefore we give numbers "G- & (G+ or S+
or O-...)" with a cost of 2.
A few terms are (virtually) only used preceding a proper
noun, particularly titles (Ms., Sen.). These words are given
only G+; no other usage is allowed. Some other terms are used
only in proper noun expressions, following a proper noun,
including terms for streets and various kinds of associations
(Corp., Inc.). These words have an obligatory G-; they then
serve as the head of the phrase.
Grammar Documentation Page.