UNSTRUCTURED CORPORA

  1. Which word in the following pairs appears in the largest number of First Presidency messages: grace vs. works; Einstein vs Dickens; revelation vs. inspiration (Note: via library.lds.org; then Advanced / Magazine / Ensign/ First Presidency Messages)
  2. Put the following three words/phrases in chronological order, in terms of their first appearance in the New York Times: extraterrestrial, alcoholism, jelly bean (note: use quotation marks around "jelly bean" to look for the exact phrase)
  3. How would you test the hypothesis that American English uses the progressive (e.g. is walking, were singing) more than British English, using data from the web? What are three problems you'd face in carrying out this research, and how would you try and solve for each one (if in fact you could). Use three bulleted items, and keep it to a paragraph or so in length.