Instructions for the word substitution task

Please note that there is no right or wrong answer. We just want your opinion for each item on this task.

During the course of this experiment, you will be presented with a series of sentences near the top of your screen. Each sentence has one word that is bold and underlined, the `test word'. We would like you to find a substitute for the test word that preserves the meaning of the word as it is used in the sentence as much as possible.

For example:

Please don't spend ages on each sentence. You are free to consult a dictionary or thesaurus if it helps, but not another person.

If the word is in plural, tensed or comparative or superlative form please aim to supply your answer in singular, untensed or base form. (Don't spend too much time on this as we can correct this afterwards.) For instance:

If at all possible we would prefer you to use a substitute word, rather than a phrase, but you can use a phrase if necessary.

You may also put a substitute that is close in meaning, even though it doesn't preserve the meaning. In such cases, please aim for a word as close as possible to the meaning of the test word, and preferably one more general than the target word. Please ONLY use a more general word if you really can't find a substitute that is a near match for the target word in meaning.

If you really cannot think of a reasonable substitute, please click the nil check box.

Sometimes the word is actually an integral part of a phrase which appears within the sentence, and it is the whole phrase, rather than just the word, that is replaced by the substitute. In that case, please indicate this in your response by entering the phrase in the box marked `Target word is part of phrase:' and then supplying your substitute in the usual response box:

Note that the phrase may appear with intervening words, e.g.:

In the task, each word is shown in the context of a sentence, and we have also shown the sentences either side in gray in case the extra context helps you. As we did not do this in the examples above, here is an example showing the word in context as it will appear in the task:

If you wish to leave a comment at any point during the task, just type it into the comment field that appears on the annotation screen. Once you have provided a substitute, click the "Submit" button near the bottom of the page.

The sentences included in this task were all gathered from the World Wide Web. They may be very long or short and some may be badly formed in some way. You may find that there are things that make a certain sentence hard to understand. Also, the sentence together with its one sentence of preceding and one sentence of succeeding context need not make a full, self-contained paragraph. Try to ignore these issues; focus only on the meaning of the underlined word in the context in which it occurs. If you find that a sentence is so flawed as to impair your ability to understand what the underlined word means, or that the meaning of the underlined word is ambiguous in the sentence, please be sure to leave a comment to this effect.

As you proceed through the task, if you change your mind about a previous item, you can navigate through the task using the Navigation panel located on the left side of your screen. You will see two options for navigating through the task: Current Sentence and Completed Sentences. If you click on "Completed Sentences", you will be taken to a listing of all the words for which you have provided annotations thus far. By clicking on a word you will be taken to a listing of all the sentences for that word for which you have provided annotations thus far, allowing you to go back and make the changes you wish.

Once have made your change, don't forget to click the "Submit" button again on that page to make sure your changes are recorded.

Once you are finished, clicking "Current Pair" will take you back to the point where your forward progress in the task stopped, and you can continue annotating.

If you wish to stop working on the task and return to it later, simply click the link near the bottom of your page that says "logout". Your progress through the task will be saved, along with all your ratings and comments. When you return, simply log back in and you will be taken directly to where you left off.

Thank you again for your participation in this task. These instructions will be available during the course of the task; just click the link that says "Click for Task Instructions".

In total, there are 260 sentences.