Example Sentences From Babble's Regression Test

As Babble masters a significant new syntax or capability, we try to add sentences to its regression test that exercise the new ability. This is how we verify that all of Babble's language abilities remain intact as we make changes.

It also makes the regression test a useful list of example sentences, illustrating the types of sentences Babble can process. The sentences below are copied from Babble's regression test for this purpose. If you use the forms of these sentences as templates, Babble is likely to understand what you tell it.

Babble may understand other combinations of syntax patterns not listed here. In addition, syntax patterns can indicate more than one meaning construction and Babble may not know them all. For example, the two sentences below have the same syntactical pattern, but the structures they generate are quite different:

The color of grass is green.
The cup of coffee is hot.

The first one is just a simple property assignment, but the second also asserts a containing relationship between the cup and coffee. When generating new sentences from an example, try to match the type of assertions the sentence conveys, as well as its syntax.

Here are some of the sentences in Babble's regression test as of January 2007:

Who are you?
You are hot.
Who is hot?
She is Deb.
Who is she?
Who is Deb?
Who am I?
I drink tea.
Who drinks tea?
He is Ted.
He is the physicist.
Who is he?
Ian gave Emma the big red book.
She liked it.
What was given?
Who liked the book?
What color is the book?
What is the capital of Texas?
Jumbo is a elephant.
What size is Jumbo?
Jumbo is small.
What size is Jumbo?
The car Fred drives Paul likes.
Who likes the car?
Paul drove the car that has the roof that leaks.
What leaks?
What has the roof?
The car that Jeff drove to the store that sold electronics crashed.
What crashed?
What sold electronics?
Dan drives the big white car.
Karen drives the little red car.
Who drives the red car?
Who drives the big car?
Who drives the little green car?
Robyn is the mother of Tyler.
Who is the child of Robyn?
What is a yellow fruit?
What cat is gray?
He is a cat.
He is yellow.
He is quiet.
Who is he?
The color is purple.
Fred is the man.
Paul is a man.
Who is the man?
Who is a man?
Who is Fred?
A computer is a machine.
Humans are animals.
Babble is a program that Karen wrote.
The fruit is red.
What is it?
Fish do what?
Dogs do what?
Who eats seeds?
Horses eat what?
The radio is above the shelf.
What is above the shelf?
Turn the radio to WGBH.
Kyle likes dancing bears.
Who dances?
The television under the table is broken.
The television is under what?
What is broken?
Joe liked the car he saw that races.
What races?
Rhonda wears the skirt that has ruffles for dancing.
The cup of coffee is hot.
What is hot?
The color of the dress is blue.
What is the color of the dress?
The volume of the radio is loud.
The volume of the radio is what?
A woman scorned is furious.
Susan wore the shoes for running.
Is five more than three?
Spiders have eight legs.
Spiders have how many legs?
Karen laughs.
Who laughs?