Phrases

An Overview

A phrase by definition is a small collection of words grouped together as a conceptual unit. The phrase in the DDE Editor has a similar concept. Although not mandatory, it is suggested that you group words that ought to be together so that they can express a meaningful unit. For example, in the English language, a transitive verb should be followed by an object; therefore, it’s best that you define a phrase = {verb + object}.

An Example

In Fig. 1, we have a class named buy_a_vehicle, which has two instances, both of which are phrases (Please see the below section in this page about how to create a phrase.). We are only going to explain the first one --- "buy a vehicle". Due to the fact that the word 'buy' is a transitive verb, it should be followed by an object. In this case, it is followed by a reference class called vehicle, which acts as the object of 'buy'. In consequence, the two units together form a phrase.

Fig. 1. Define a phrase.

After we have defined the phrase, we can reference it afterwards under the intents tab while creating sentences. Please see Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. Use a phrase.

How do we create purple phrase icons like Fig. 1

It's pretty simple! Just surround the phrase by a pair of curly brackets, and then all the stuff within the brackets, along with the brackets themselves, will transform to a single purple icon, as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3. How to create a phrase represented by a purple icon as Fig 1.