[Grammar] Software program for syntax?

[pljames]

I have the most horrid time with nouns verbs and the like. Is there a software program that can help me
understand how syntax (verbs nouns and such) enhance the sentence? As I type the word I can highlight it and it will
tell me if it's a verb or noun or what relation it is to the word. Or even use color to enhance the word and the related
syntax. Or highlight the sentence and the sentence will be translated into all nouns verbs whatever? plj

 

[emsr2d2]

I have the most horrid time with nouns verbs and the like. Is there a software program that can help me
understand how syntax (verbs nouns and such) enhance the sentence? As I type the word I can highlight it and it will
tell me if it's a verb or noun or what relation it is to the word. Or even use color to enhance the word and the related
syntax. Or highlight the sentence and the sentence will be translated into all nouns verbs whatever? plj

If anyone ever creates such a software program (and it actually works) they will make a lot of money, and make a lot of teachers/proofreaders/editors unemployed! As far as I know, no such program exists.

 

[BobK]

Maybe it doesn't exist because it's impossible. When things sound to good to be true they usually are!

What would it do if you typed 'duck'? Noun? Verb? It's even sometimes an adjective, referring to colour.

b

 

[Tdol]

There is parsing software available, though don't expect it to be perfect. Here's an example: SIL Software Catalog:All SIL Software Titles

 

[BobK]

Yep - but I can't imagine it would be useful for a learner. As you say, it's not perfect. Like predictive text on a mobile phone, it's impressive, but can invite the careless user to make huge mistakes. (Owners of mobile phones may like to try 'barmaid' ;-)) And the problem would be magnified if you tried to do the same with syntax. Who was it (Chomsky?) who found N possible meanings for 'Time flies like an arrow' (including one with a mythical beast called a 'time fly' - on the analogy of 'fruit fly' - having a predilection for certain kinds of projectile)? Of course, most human readers will parse it correctly (in fact, when I first saw it I couldn't see any ambiguity); but a computer is bound to stumble over any possible ambiguity. The best that impossibly perfect software could do would be to apply heuristics and assign percentage probabilities to possible parsings. What would happen to the colours then? If nouns were blue and verbs were yellow, would 'duck' be green? (with apologies to speakers of languages with no blue/green distinction - which raises another problem...)

b

 

[Tdol]

This software is for field researchers, not learners.