10-4-04  Patterns for many/much queries


Queries (from Praveen's paper on SOLVE) and their underlying syntactic patterns:

1. How many popcorns would fill the classroom
   HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,thing,locatation>

   How much popcorn would fill in the 1890 Maple Ave. big classroom?
   HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <VP> <PP,thing,location>

   How many cups of popcorn would fill in the 1890 Maple Ave. big classroom?
   How many bags of popcorn would fill in the 1890 Maple Ave. big classroom?
   How many pieces of popcorn would fill in the 1890 Maple Ave. big classroom?
   HOW MANY <NP,thing/unit,count/mass> <VP> <PP,thing,location>

2. How much money is spent on newspapers in the US
   HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass/count> <VP> <NP,thing,object> <PP,location> 

   How many dollars are spent annually on Newspapers in the US?
   HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <VP> <ADVP,temp> <NP,thing,object> <PP,location>

3. How many teachers are there in the US
   HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <PP,location>

4. How many cars are bought in the US per year
   HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location> <ADVP,temp>

   How many cars are bought annually in the US
   HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <ADVP,temp> <PP,location>

5. How many hotdogs are sold at Wrigley Field per season
   HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location> <ADVP,temp>

   How many hotdogs are sold at Wrigley Field in a baseball season
   HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location> <PP,temp?>


More queries (from Kate's list, based on ?)

Changed phrasing
6. How many popcorns would it take to fill the 1890 Maple Ave. big classroom?
   How many popcorns would fill 1980 Maple Ave, room 341?
   How many popcorns could you fit in the 1890 Maple Ave big classroom?
   HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <NP,location>
   HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

Other leading words:
7. Approximately, how many miles from Earth is the moon?
   <ADVP>, HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <PP,location> <VP> <NP,thing,object>
   *** This is a reversed pattern, the PP could be moved to the end of the sentence

8. Roughly, how many soldiers died in World War 1?
   <ADVP>, HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <PP,event/temporal>   

Time variations
9. IMPLIED How much does the average new car cost? (implied time NOW)
   STATED How much did the average new car cost in 1968?
   HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP> <PP,temporal>
   *** Also, gap for queried thing, cost implies money

Quantifiers other than MANY/MUCH:
10. How big is Mars?
    How fast is an eye blink?
    How large, in square miles, is North Carolina?
    How hot is the sun?
    How high is the Eiffel Tower?
    How tall is Mt. McKinley?
    HOW <ADJ,base> <VP,be> <NP,thing>

    How fast can a nuclear sub go?
    HOW <ADJ,base> <AUX> <NP,thing> <VP>

    How far is it from Earth to Mars?
    HOW <ADJ,base> <VP> <NP,thing> <PP,location> <PP,location>
    *** 'it' == 'the distance'

    How late is Disneyland open?
    HOW <ADJ,base> <VP> <NP,thing> <ADV/J>


11. How many stairs are in the Sears Tower?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

12. How many Olympic Games were canceled because of WW1?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <ADVP,event,temporal/causal>

13. How many NFL teams are there?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,thing,organization>
    *** rewrite as: how many teams are in the NFL

14. How many time zones are there in the world?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

15. How many gas stations are there in the US?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

16. How many gallons of gas does the average US family use in a month?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <PP,thing,mass> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP> <PP,temporal>

17. How many moons does Venus have?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>
 
18. How many years are there in a French president's term?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,event/temporal>

19. How much does a ton of cement cost?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,unit,count> <PP,thing,mass> <VP>

20. How many people watch network televison?
    HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <NP,thing,object>

21. How many Earth days does it take for Mars to orbit the sun?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing> <VP> ...
    *** syntax too complex

22. How many stripes are on the American flag?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location?,thing?>

23. How much does a large coffee cost?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>
    *** omitted the thing queried for, i.e. money. implied by verb

24. How much of the ozone layer is depleted?
    HOW MUCH <PP,thing,mass> <VP>
    *** omitted the unit queried for, i.e. percent

25. How many languages are spoken in Switzerland?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

26. How much gravity exists on Mars?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <VP> <PP,location>

27. How many pages are in the bible?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,thing/location?>

28. How much did a quart of milk cost in the 1930's?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,unit,count> <PP,thing,mass> <VP> <PP,temporal>

29. How many black keys are on a piano?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,thing/location?>

30. How much sleep should a child get at night?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <AUX> <NP,person,object> <VP> <ADVP,temporal>

31. How many feet is the pitchers mound from homeplate in softball?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <VP> <NP,thing,object> <PP,location> <PP,location/thing>

32. How much vitamin C should you take in one day?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <AUX> <NP,person,object> <VP> <ADVP/PP,temporal>

33. How much is the International Space Station expected to cost?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>
    *** omitted thing queried for, i.e. money.
    *** should be rewritten as 'how much money does the iss cost?
    *** loses the hypothetical notion for expected cost, though

34. How many Americans are expected to vote in the upcoming election?
    HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <PP,event>

35. How many commercial flights fly out of Dallas every day?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location> <ADVP,temporal>
 
36. How much protein is in tofu?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <VP> <PP,location/thing>

37. How much area does the Everglades cover?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <AUX> <NP,location> <VP>

38. How much copper is in a penny?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <VP> <PP,thing/location?>

39. How much does it cost to register a car in New Hampshire?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,thing> <VP> <NP,thing,object> <PP,location>

40. How many electoral college votes does Tennessee have?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing> <VP>

41. How much does a plummer make per hour?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,person> <VP> <ADVP,temporal>

42. How many miles does the average car last for?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>

43. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing> <VP> <PP,location> <PP,thing,object>

44. How many books did Willa Cather write?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,person> <VP>

45. How much of the US power is from nuclear energy?
    HOW MUCH <PP,thing,mass> <VP> <PP,thing>
    *** rewrite as 'how many percent of US power is generated from nuclear energy?'

46. How many mph can a cheetah run?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>
    *** rewrite as 'how fast is a cheetah'

47. How much money does the U.S. Supreme Court make?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <AUX> <NP,organization> <VP>

48. How many states were still united after the south seceeded?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing> <VP> <PP,temporal>

49. How many ounces are in a gallon?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <VP> <PP,unit,count>

50. How many chromosomes does a human zygote have?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>

51. How many great lakes are there?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing> <VP> <PP,location>

52. How much was a ticket for the Titanic?
    HOW MUCH <VP> <NP,thing> <PP,thing,event>
    *** omitted money, cost

53. How much does the human adult female brain weigh?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,thing> <VP>

54. How many gold medals were awarded in the 2002 Winter Olympics?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,event,temporal>

55. How much longer is a Pluto day than an Earth day?
    HOW MUCH <ADJ,comparative> <VP> <NP,thing> THAN <NP,thing>

56. How many gallons of water are there in a cubic foot?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <PP,thing,mass> <VP> <PP,unit,count>

57. How many Admirals are there in the US Navy?
    HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <PP,organization>

58. How many hearts does an Octopus have?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>

59. How much does water weigh?
    HOW MUCH <AUX> <NP,thing,mass> <VP>
    *** omits unit, or thing queried for

60. How much more caffeine is in coffee than in green tea?
    HOW MUCH <ADJ,comparative> <NP,thing> <VP> <PP,thing1> THAN <PP,thing2>

61. How much radiation is considered "safe"?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <VP> <ADJP>

62. How much of an apple is water?
    HOW MUCH <PP,thing> <VP> <NP,thing,object>
    *** omits unit queried for, percent, part
    *** rewrite as 'how much water is [contained] in an apple'

63. How many feet in a mile?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <VP> <PP,unit,count>
    *** verb missing? 

64. How many feet does a centipede have?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>

65. How much folic acid should an expectant mother have daily?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,mass> <AUX> <NP,person> <VP> <ADVP,temporal>

66. How many dogs pull a sled in the Iditarod?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <NP,thing> <PP,location,event>

67. How many hexagons are on a soccer ball?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,thing/location?>

68. How many astronauts have been on the moon?
    HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <PP,location>

69. How many years ago did the ship Titanic sink?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <AUX> <NP,thing,object> <VP>
    *** first NP also temporal, event

70. How many people live in Chile?
    HOW MANY <NP,person> <VP> <PP,location>

71. How much money does the Sultan of Brunei have?
    HOW MUCH <NP,thing,unit> <AUX> <NP,person> <VP>

72. How many tiles are in a Scrabble game?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,thing>

73. How many points is the letter "Z" worth in Scrabble?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <VP> <NP,thing> <PP,thing>
    *** POS of worth?
 
74. How many films did Ingmar Bergman make?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,person> <VP>

    How many films did Ingmar Bergman make before his death?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,person> <VP> <ADVP,temporal>

75. How many types of lemurs are there?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <PP,thing,count> <VP>

76. How many people die from snakebite poisoning in the U.S. per year?
    HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <PP,thing,event> <PP,location> <ADVP,temporal>

77. How many home runs did Babe Ruth hit in his lifetime?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,person> <VP> <PP/ADVP,temporal>

78. How many Superbowls have the 49ers won?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <AUX> <NP,organization> <VP>

79. How many continents are there?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

80. How much in miles is a ten K run?
    HOW MUCH <NP/PP,unit> <VP> <NP,thing,event>

81. How many people lived in Nebraska in the mid 1980s?
    HOW MANY <NP,person,count> <VP> <PP,location> <PP/ADVP,temporal>

82. How many states have a "lemon law" for new automobiles?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <NP,thing> <PP,thing>

83. How many years did the Hundred Years War really last?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,unit> <AUX> <NP,thing,event> <VP>

84. How many zip codes are there in the U.S.?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

85. How many copies of an album must be sold for it to be a gold album?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <PP,thing> <VP> <PP,event>

86. How many states have a lottery?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing> <VP> <NP,thing>

87. How many highway miles per gallon can you get in a Ford Fiesta?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <AUX> <NP,person> <VP> <PP,thing>

88. How many casions are in Atlantic City, NJ?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

89. How many counties are in Indiana?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <PP,location>

90. How many miles is it from London, England to Plymoth, England?
    HOW MANY <NP,unit,count> <VP> <NP,thing> <PP,location> <PP,location>

91. How many islands does Fiji have?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing> <AUX> <NP,location> <VP>

92. How many US cities have a symphony orchestra?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing,count> <VP> <NP,thing>

93. How many cable news networks are there?
    HOW MANY <NP,thing> <VP> <PP,location>



Some queries will need a rewrite, as they do not use the MUCH/MANY format.
Rewriting the sentences is usually not too difficult, though.

What is the total amount of gasoline consumption by cars in the US
-> How much gasoline is consumed by cars in the US
OK

What is the annual cost of healthcare in the US
-> How much does healthcare cost in the US per year
A bit awkward, somehow seems to refer to the cost of healthcare per individual

What is the weight of garbage produced by American families each year
-> How much garbage do American families produce every year
-> How many tons of garbage do American families produce every year
First rewrite loses the query for weight, treats garbage as mass, maybe volume
Second rewrite specifies unit, requires interpretation as weight

