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The Lancaster Speech, Writing and Thought Presentation Written Corpus

 

 

Below is a short example from the popular (auto)biography section of the corpus. This extract is from the autobiography of the actor Michael Caine, and in this particular excerpt Caine is recounting a trip to Spain to star in the film Play Dirty.

 

Extract from the popautobiog section, Lancaster SW&TP Written Corpus

<sptag cat=NRS who=X next=IS whonext=X s=0.17 w=4>
We had been told
</sptag>
<sptag cat=IS who=X next=N s=0.26 w=6>
that the journey took eight hours
</sptag>
<sptag cat=N next=N-NRSA whonext=B+K s=0.57+0.27 w=41>
<note desc="interesting negation">
but no one had warned us that there would be no food available. The train itself was excruciatingly slow, and as a journey into the truly futile, we went the scenic route - at night!
<p>
Our trip finally terminated at Almeria
</sptag>
<sptag cat=N-NRSA who=B+K next=N s=0.36 w=8>
and we hailed a cab to the hotel,
</sptag>
<sptag cat=N next=NRS whonext=B s=0.36+1 w=18>
only to receive the unkindest cut of all. A policeman stopped our vehicle and we sat and waited.
</sptag>
<sptag cat=NRS who=B next=IS whonext=B s=0.6 w=6>
After about five minutes I enquired
</sptag>
<sptag cat=IS who=B next=FIS whonext=X s=0.4 w=4>
what the hold-up was.
</sptag>
<sptag cat=FIS who=X next=#NRS whonext=X s=0.31 w=4>
Generalissimo Franco was coming,
</sptag>
<sptag cat=NRS who=X next=FIS whonext=X s=0.15 w=2>
<note desc="NRS without reporting verb">
it appeared
</sptag>
<sptag cat=FIS who=X next=N s=0.54 w=7>
and all roads were to be closed.
</sptag>
<sptag cat=N next=NRS whonext=B s=3+0.36 w=71>
Franco was the Fascist Dictator of Spain at the time. We sat there for two hours in a temperature of ninety degrees with no air conditioning and sweated away what little liquid there was left in our dry frames after a nightlong bout with diarrhoea after buying dodgy snacks. Finally Franco came zooming past in a cloud of dust and we were allowed on our way. As we passed the policeman
</sptag>
<sptag cat=NRS who=B next=IS whonext=B s=0.21 w=3>
I asked him
</sptag>
<sptag cat=FIS who=B next=DS whonext=B s=0.43 w=6>
what Franco was doing down here.
</sptag>
<sptag cat=DS who=L next=NRS whonext=L s=0.64 w=7>
'He is opening the new Almeria airport,'
</sptag>
<sptag cat=NRS who=L next=N s=0.36 w=4>
he said with pride.
<p>
</sptag>

 

 



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Last updated:
Dan McIntyre