Queries based on header information

WordSmith can perform a query on only those files that contain a certain information in the header. We will now look at how to make WordSmith aware of the header information.

The sample files we will use are shown as follows:

1. Open WordSmith and choose all the files where they are stored in C:\temp.
2. Adjust the settings of "Text" as follows:

3. Adjust the settings of "Tags":
   
   1. Click on "Only part of file"
   2. In the part marked "sections to use" type in <text> in "Starting at" and </text> in "Ending with" in "Sections to use". This will make WordSmith search the text section, ignoring the header section.
   3. Check "Activated" and click on OK.

Now the most important point: how to limit the search to the files containing certain information in the header.

Now let's limit the search to files by advanced speakers of English only.

Type <level>advanced in the box as shown below:

Then activate it and press OK.

Now do a concordance of the string "the" and see if it works.

You should only be able to see examples from files 1,2,3,7,8 and 9.

By specifying the header information, you can run a query based upon various types of extra-textual information. All the relevant variables in the study should be made explicit in the header.

Now use the headers to answer the following questions:

• How do advanced and elementary speakers of English differ in their use of the word very?
• How competent are these native French and Chinese speakers at using the preposition for?