distinguish

Who acts: I, thing, long neck, people, you, It · What happens: see, understand, distinguish, be, hear, notice · To what, where: difference, something, shape, thing, someone, giraffe · Speech: someone speaks here

«distinguish» in the school dictionary: its 4 meanings for a pupil and its 8 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: distinguish in the school dictionary.

Meaning 1

To see or understand the difference between two or more things: «distinguish between right and wrong».

The tree, 16 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	To	to	PART	_	2 see	mark
2	see	see	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	or	or	CCONJ	_	4 understand	cc
4	understand	understand	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	2 see	conj
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	6 difference	det
6	difference	difference	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 understand	obj
7	between	between	ADP	_	11 things	case
8	two	two	NUM	NumForm=Word NumType=Card	11 things	nummod
9	or	or	CCONJ	_	10 more	cc
10	more	more	ADJ	Degree=Cmp	8 two	conj
11	things	thing	NOUN	Number=Plur	6 difference	nmod
12	:	:	PUNCT	_	14 distinguish	punct
13	«	«	PUNCT	_	14 distinguish	punct
14	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	2 see	conj
15	between	between	ADP	_	16 right	case
16	right	right	ADJ	Degree=Pos	14 distinguish	obl
17	and	and	CCONJ	_	18 wrong	cc
18	wrong	wrong	ADJ	Degree=Pos	16 right	conj
19	»	»	PUNCT	_	16 right	punct
20	.	.	PUNCT	_	2 see	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	what, whom	other	roles by
1	see	to-infinitive			vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer
2	understand	infinitive	the difference	between two things	vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer difference=Stimulus
3	distinguish in a quote	infinitive		between right	vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent between right=Theme

One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

Meaning 2

To be able to see, hear or notice something clearly: «I could just distinguish a shape.».

The tree, 16 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	To	to	PART	_	3 able	mark
2	be	be	AUX	VerbForm=Inf	3 able	cop
3	able	able	ADJ	Degree=Pos	root	root
4	to	to	PART	_	5 see	mark
5	see	see	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	3 able	xcomp
6	,	,	PUNCT	_	7 hear	punct
7	hear	hear	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	5 see	conj
8	or	or	CCONJ	_	9 notice	cc
9	notice	notice	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	5 see	conj
10	something	something	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Ind	9 notice	obj
11	clearly	clearly	ADV	_	9 notice	advmod
12	:	:	PUNCT	_	17 distinguish	punct
13	«	«	PUNCT	_	17 distinguish	punct
14	I	I	PRON	Case=Nom Number=Sing Person=1 PronType=Prs	17 distinguish	nsubj
15	could	could	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	17 distinguish	aux
16	just	just	ADV	_	17 distinguish	advmod
17	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	3 able	parataxis
18	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	19 shape	det
19	shape	shape	NOUN	Number=Sing	17 distinguish	obj
20	.	.	PUNCT	_	17 distinguish	punct
21	»	»	PUNCT	_	17 distinguish	punct
22	.	.	PUNCT	_	3 able	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	is	to-infinitive			able property	tree rules
2	see	to-infinitive				vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer
3	hear	infinitive				vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V PP.stimulus»: agent=Experiencer
4	notice	infinitive		something	clearly property	vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer something=Stimulus
5	distinguish in a quote	could	I	a shape		vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute shape=Theme

Meaning 3

To be the thing that makes someone or something different: «Its long neck distinguishes the giraffe.».

The tree, 16 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	To	to	PART	_	4 thing	mark
2	be	be	AUX	VerbForm=Inf	4 thing	cop
3	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	4 thing	det
4	thing	thing	NOUN	Number=Sing	root	root
5	that	that	PRON	PronType=Rel	6 makes	nsubj
6	makes	make	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	4 thing	acl:relcl
7	someone	someone	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Ind	6 makes	obj
8	or	or	CCONJ	_	9 something	cc
9	something	something	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Ind	7 someone	conj
10	different	different	ADJ	Degree=Pos	9 something	amod
11	:	:	PUNCT	_	16 distinguishes	punct
12	«	«	PUNCT	_	16 distinguishes	punct
13	Its	its	PRON	Case=Gen Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs	15 neck	nmod:poss
14	long	long	ADJ	Degree=Pos	15 neck	amod
15	neck	neck	NOUN	Number=Sing	16 distinguishes	nsubj
16	distinguishes	distinguish	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	6 makes	conj
17	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	18 giraffe	det
18	giraffe	giraffe	NOUN	Number=Sing	16 distinguishes	obj
19	.	.	PUNCT	_	6 makes	punct
20	»	»	PUNCT	_	6 makes	punct
21	.	.	PUNCT	_	4 thing	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	roles by
1	is a	to-infinitive		the thing	tree rules
2	make	present	the thing	someone	vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset someone=Product
3	distinguish in a quote	present	thing's long neck	the giraffe	vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute giraffe=Theme

Meaning 4

«Distinguish yourself» means do something very well so people notice and respect you.

The tree, 13 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	«	«	PUNCT	_	2 Distinguish	punct
2	Distinguish	distinguish	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	5 means	nsubj
3	yourself	yourself	PRON	Case=Acc Number=Sing Person=2 PronType=Prs Reflex=Yes	2 Distinguish	obj
4	»	»	PUNCT	_	2 Distinguish	punct
5	means	mean	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
6	do	do	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	5 means	ccomp
7	something	something	PRON	Number=Sing PronType=Ind	6 do	obj
8	very	very	ADV	_	9 well	advmod
9	well	well	ADV	Degree=Pos	6 do	advmod
10	so	so	SCONJ	_	12 notice	mark
11	people	people	NOUN	Number=Plur	12 notice	nsubj
12	notice	notice	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	6 do	advcl
13	and	and	CCONJ	_	14 respect	cc
14	respect	respect	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	12 notice	conj
15	you	you	PRON	Case=Acc Person=2 PronType=Prs	14 respect	obj
16	.	.	PUNCT	_	5 means	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	distinguish in a quote	infinitive		yourself		vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute yourself=Theme
2	mean	present				vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic
3	do	infinitive		something	well property	vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Eventuality
4	notice	present	people			vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S_ING»: agent=Experiencer
5	respect	present	people not said here	you		vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer you=Stimulus

Example 1

Can you distinguish between a frog and a toad?

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Can	can	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	3 distinguish	aux
2	you	you	PRON	Case=Nom Person=2 PronType=Prs	3 distinguish	nsubj
3	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
4	between	between	ADP	_	6 frog	case
5	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	6 frog	det
6	frog	frog	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 distinguish	obl
7	and	and	CCONJ	_	9 toad	cc
8	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	9 toad	det
9	toad	toad	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 frog	conj
10	?	?	PUNCT	_	3 distinguish	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	distinguish	can	you					between a frog and a toad	vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent between frog=Theme

Example 2

It was too dark to distinguish the path.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	It	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	4 dark	nsubj
2	was	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	4 dark	cop
3	too	too	ADV	_	4 dark	advmod
4	dark	dark	ADJ	Degree=Pos	root	root
5	to	to	PART	_	6 distinguish	mark
6	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	4 dark	advcl
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 path	det
8	path	path	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 distinguish	obj
9	.	.	PUNCT	_	4 dark	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	is	past	It					dark property	tree rules
2	distinguish	to-infinitive		the path					vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute path=Theme

Example 3

Learn to distinguish fact from opinion.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Learn	learn	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	to	to	PART	_	3 distinguish	mark
3	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	1 Learn	xcomp
4	fact	fact	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 distinguish	obj
5	from	from	ADP	_	6 opinion	case
6	opinion	opinion	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 distinguish	obl
7	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Learn	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	learn	imperative	you not said here						vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic
2	distinguish	to-infinitive	you not said here	fact				from opinion	vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP.theme PP.co-theme»: agent=Agent fact=Theme from opinion=Co-Theme

Example 4

Its black and white fur distinguishes the panda from other bears.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Its	its	PRON	Case=Gen Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs	5 fur	nmod:poss
2	black	black	ADJ	Degree=Pos	5 fur	amod
3	and	and	CCONJ	_	4 white	cc
4	white	white	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 black	conj
5	fur	fur	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 distinguishes	nsubj
6	distinguishes	distinguish	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 panda	det
8	panda	panda	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 distinguishes	obj
9	from	from	ADP	_	11 bears	case
10	other	other	ADJ	Degree=Pos	11 bears	amod
11	bears	bear	NOUN	Number=Plur	8 panda	nmod
12	.	.	PUNCT	_	6 distinguishes	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	distinguish	present	Its black fur	the panda				from other bears	vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP.theme PP.co-theme»: agent=Agent panda=Theme from bear=Co-Theme

Example 5

She distinguished herself by winning every race.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	She	she	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	2 distinguished	nsubj
2	distinguished	distinguish	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	herself	herself	PRON	Case=Acc Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs Reflex=Yes	2 distinguished	obj
4	by	by	SCONJ	_	5 winning	mark
5	winning	win	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	2 distinguished	advcl
6	every	every	DET	PronType=Tot	7 race	det
7	race	race	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 winning	obj
8	.	.	PUNCT	_	2 distinguished	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	distinguish	past	She	herself = she					vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute herself=Theme
2	win	gerund	She not said here	every race					vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent race=Eventuality

Example 6

The twins are so alike it's hard to distinguish them.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	The	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	2 twins	det
2	twins	twin	NOUN	Number=Plur	8 hard	nsubj
3	are	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	8 hard	cop
4	so	so	ADV	_	8 hard	advmod
5	alike	alike	ADP	_	8 hard	case
6	it	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	8 hard	expl
7	's	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	8 hard	cop
8	hard	hard	ADJ	Degree=Pos	root	root
9	to	to	PART	_	10 distinguish	mark
10	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	8 hard	xcomp
11	them	they	PRON	Case=Acc Number=Plur Person=3 PronType=Prs	10 distinguish	obj
12	.	.	PUNCT	_	8 hard	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	is	present	the twins					hard property	tree rules
2	distinguish	to-infinitive	the twins not said here	twins = twin					vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute they=Theme

Example 7

A scam email can be hard to distinguish from a real one.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	A	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	3 email	det
2	scam	scam	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 email	compound
3	email	email	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 hard	nsubj
4	can	can	AUX	VerbForm=Fin	6 hard	aux
5	be	be	AUX	VerbForm=Inf	6 hard	cop
6	hard	hard	ADJ	Degree=Pos	root	root
7	to	to	PART	_	8 distinguish	mark
8	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	6 hard	xcomp
9	from	from	ADP	_	12 one	case
10	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	12 one	det
11	real	real	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 one	amod
12	one	one	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 distinguish	obl
13	.	.	PUNCT	_	6 hard	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	is	can	a scam email					hard property	tree rules
2	distinguish	to-infinitive	a scam email not said here					from a real one	vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP.theme PP.co-theme»: agent=Agent from one=Co-Theme

Example 8

‘How am I to distinguish this awful thing when I see it?’

The tree, 12 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	‘	'	PUNCT	_	6 distinguish	punct
2	How	how	ADV	PronType=Int	6 distinguish	advmod
3	am	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=1 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	6 distinguish	aux
4	I	I	PRON	Case=Nom Number=Sing Person=1 PronType=Prs	6 distinguish	nsubj
5	to	to	PART	_	6 distinguish	mark
6	distinguish	distinguish	VERB	VerbForm=Inf	root	root
7	this	this	DET	Number=Sing PronType=Dem	9 thing	det
8	awful	awful	ADJ	Degree=Pos	9 thing	amod
9	thing	thing	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 distinguish	obj
10	when	when	ADV	PronType=Int	12 see	advmod
11	I	I	PRON	Case=Nom Number=Sing Person=1 PronType=Prs	12 see	nsubj
12	see	see	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=1 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	6 distinguish	advcl
13	it	it	PRON	Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	12 see	obj
14	?	?	PUNCT	_	6 distinguish	punct
15	’	'	PUNCT	_	6 distinguish	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	distinguish	present	I	this awful thing					vn distinguish-23.5-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Attribute thing=Theme
2	see	present	I	thing					vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus

Text: the school dictionary of Mova's schools (world/data/dictionary-schools/), written for Mova. Trees: Mova's own parse — the en model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. Frames: Mova's frames reader (prag), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/distinguish/