クラスの半数の生徒はコーヒーを飲む。

class

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

half the number; haploid

pupil

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

coffee

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

to drink; to gulp; to swallow; to take (medicine); to smoke (tobacco); to engulf; to overwhelm; to keep down; to suppress; to accept (e.g. demand, condition); to make light of; to conceal