[Corpora-List] a request for advice about software for dissecting syntax

[David Sackett]

Short version of this message:

can anyone direct me to software (other than Word2000 and Grammar Expert Plus) for summarizing syntax?  I'm particularly interested in:

1. words/sentence alarms that can be set at variable lengths.

2. adjective & adverb per sentence counters and high-lighters.

thanks for your trouble.

cheers
dls

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Long version of this message:

i'm a partially-retired clinical investigator (my last post was an ad hominem chair in clinical epidemiology at oxford), and i continue to work with young (and occasionally old) clinical-practice researchers who ask me for help and feedback about their writing.

i give them feedback of 2 sorts:

1. substance (mostly about scientific validity, and phrased as questions rather than pronouncements)

2. style : this has two bits, and the second has to do with projecting their personality and individuality (suggestions as to how to educate myself about this would be appreciated).

but the first bit on style is where i'd really benefit from your advice:

    i provide a statistical assessment of their draft (words/sentence; adjectives/sentence; syllables/word; % passive sentences; readability scores).  my standards here are both "authorities" who have described the "ideal" and examples of writing from my heroes (einstein and a guy named bradford hill, who led the first randomized trial of the modern era).  my report looks like this (i've also attached it in case the following gets scrambled in transmission):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLARITY of STYLE: The epidemiology of your syntax

 

      Paper: 
     
      Section
      

       

      Sen-tences
      

      Words per sentence
     *Lay adjectives per sentence
      

       

      Syllables per word
      

      Sentences in passive voice
     **Required schooling (years) to understand
     
      Ideally

       
      
     = 20
     = 1
     = 2
     = 10%
     = 20
     
      Einstein (1)

       
     39
     24.9
     0.2
     1.8
     24%
     19.4
     
      Hill (2) Methods
     48
     27.3
     0.25
     1.8
     43%
     20
     
      Hill (2) Dis-cussion
     42
     34.8
     0.26
     1.9
     21%
     22.6
     

*Excluding essential clinical (malignant hypertension) or methodological (large, simple trials)     adjectives.

**Based on big vs small words & mean words/sentence:
             College graduates = 16; med school grads and PhDs = 20

(1) Einstein’s original description of the special and general principle of relativity.

(2) Hill’s report of the first RCT of the modern era (streptomycin in tuberculosis)

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Here are my specific questions:

1. i'm using the Word6 and "Grammar Expert Plus" software to carry out these assessments (i have to do the adjective counts by hand).  IS THERE OTHER SOFTWARE I SHOULD CONSIDER USING?  (an adjective counter would be great, or any other better software you know about).

2. i'm using Grammar Expert Plus for the readability measure, mostly because it reports years of school required for understanding.  IS THIS A VALIDATED MEASURE, OR SHOULD I BE USING SOMETHING ELSE?  IS THE FLESCH-KINCAID GRADE LEVEL A BETTER ONE? (i have trouble interpreting the Flesch Reading Ease score foy my students).

cheers,
dls
================================================
DL Sackett
Trout Research & Education Centre at Irish Lake, Canada
RR 1, Markdale, Ontario, Canada N0C 1H0
Phone and Fax: +1 - 519 - 986 - 9951
My website is: <www.davesackett.com>
@@ my email address remains: <sackett at bmts.com>  (lincsat is just my satellite)