1.2.7. Read the text and comment on the issues at stake. Discuss the points which seem disputable. Give your own examples of common noun phrases relevant to the search terms displayed on the Net.

The distinction between predicating and referring can be given a price. The most successful new corporation in this century so far is Google, which made its fortune by actually selling noun phrases. The problem with earlier Internet portals was that no one knew how to make money from them: users hated the banner ads and seldom clicked through to the advertisers. There is a saying in advertising that half of every ad budget is wasted, but no one knows which half – most people who see an ad have no interest in the product or service. The Google guys, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, had the brainstorm that the words people type into a search engine are an excellent clue to the kinds of things they might buy, making a search engine a good matchmaker for buyers and sellers. So together with the results of an untainted Web search, Google displays a few commercially sponsored sites relevant to the search term at the edges of the screen. Companies pay for this privilege by bidding in a continuous auction for the terms most likely to send eyeballs to their site. You will be intrigued to learn that plurals cost more than singulars. Digital camera can be bought for seventy-five cents a click, whereas digital cameras fetches a dollar and eight cents. The advertisers know that the plural is more likely to be typed by people who are planning to buy a digital camera, though they don’t know why. The reason is that a phrase like digital camera is generic, and is likely to be typed by someone who wants to know how they work. A plural like digital cameras is more likely to be referential, and typed by someone who wants to know about the kinds that are out there and how to get one.

After S.Pinker

1.2.8. Generic or referential? Use proper determiners (an indefinite article, a definite article, no-article, a possessive, a quantifier) to complete the following sentences.

1. … book covers … wide range of … topics.

2. … excess baggage has … price.

3. … production and … demand are … coherent issues.

4. Are you scrupulous in … filing?

5. … mathematically sophisticated reader should note that … algorithm is … special case of … following procedure.

6. … search engine is … good matchmaker for … buyers and sellers.

7. In advertising they bid … continuous action for … terms attracting … users’ … attention.

8. Google displays … commercially sponsored sites relevant to … search term at … edges of … screen. Is it what is called … untainted Web search on … part of … advertiser?

9. … people planning to buy … something often apply to … Net.

10. … distinction between … predicating and … referring is inherent in … language.

11. Do you have … interest when you see … ad on … computer screen? Do you often get interested in … product or service?

12. Why are … words … people type into … search engine … excellent clue to … kinds of … things they want to buy?