# Generating Numbers with the ERG

**URL:** <https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/t/generating-numbers-with-the-erg/1201>\
**Category:** ERG\
**Tags:** mrs\
**Created:** [June 9, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/t/generating-numbers-with-the-erg/1201 "2026-06-09T00:26:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ecconrad](https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/839c29/32.png) [@ecconrad](https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/u/ecconrad)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/t/generating-numbers-with-the-erg/1201/1 "2026-06-09T00:26:36Z")

</div>

I am confused about how to generate numbers in the ERG.

I am able to generate most numbers with “simple” names: e.g. _one_, _five_, _twenty_:

```auto
[ TOP: h12
  INDEX: e9
  RELS: < [unknown LBL: h11 ARG: x4 ARG0: e9]
          [number_q LBL: h7 ARG0: x4 RSTR: h5 BODY: h6]
          [card LBL: h3 ARG0: x4 ARG1: u2 CARG: "5"] >
  HCONS: < h5 qeq h3 h12 qeq h11 > ]
Five
Five.

```

I see that if I want to generate something more complex like _three hundred twenty-five_ I need to make use of additional predicates like `times` and `plus`.

However, I don’t seem to be able to generate more complex numbers in digit form, even though when I parse them the MRS just shows the number I typed in the `CARG` field of the `card` predicate.

For example, If I parse _532_ I get an MRS similar to the one above as a result:

```auto
  INDEX: e9
  RELS: < [unknown LBL: h11 ARG: x4 ARG0: e9]
          [number_q LBL: h7 ARG0: x4 RSTR: h5 BODY: h6]
          [card LBL: h3 ARG0: x4 ARG1: u2 CARG: "532"] >
  HCONS: < h5 qeq h3 h12 qeq h11 > ]

```

But I can’t generate from this MRS. Why is that?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dan](https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/eada6e/32.png) [@Dan](https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/u/Dan)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://delphinqa.ling.washington.edu/t/generating-numbers-with-the-erg/1201/2 "2026-06-10T01:35:45Z")

</div>

Alas, there appears to be some flaw in the configuration settings of the grammar for ACE that prevents the generic lexical entry for cardinal numbers from being introduced into the generation chart. The LKB in contrast happily generates from the MRS produced by parsing “532”. This flaw has slipped through unnoticed for several past versions of the ERG. I’ll try to track down the bug.