wherefore
Who acts: he, Romeo, I, you, teacher, old · What happens: ask, be, not be, not need, tell, happen · To what, where: Romeo, whys, me, bed · Speech: someone speaks here
«wherefore» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 7 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: wherefore in the school dictionary.
Meaning 1
Usage: old-fashioned — kept apart, not parsed.
Why; for what reason.
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why | why | ADV | PronType=Int | root | root |
| 2 | ; | ; | PUNCT | _ | 4 what | punct |
| 3 | for | for | ADP | _ | 4 what | case |
| 4 | what | what | PRON | PronType=Rel | 1 Why | conj |
| 5 | reason | reason | NOUN | Number=Sing | 4 what | nsubj |
| 6 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 1 Why | punct |
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.
Meaning 2
Usage: old-fashioned — kept apart, not parsed.
Therefore; for that reason.
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Therefore | therefore | ADV | _ | 5 reason | advmod |
| 2 | ; | ; | PUNCT | _ | 5 reason | punct |
| 3 | for | for | ADP | _ | 5 reason | case |
| 4 | that | that | DET | Number=Sing PronType=Dem | 5 reason | det |
| 5 | reason | reason | NOUN | Number=Sing | root | root |
| 6 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 5 reason | punct |
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.
Meaning 3
The whys and wherefores: all the reasons and details.
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 2 whys | det |
| 2 | whys | why | NOUN | Number=Plur | root | root |
| 3 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 4 wherefores | cc |
| 4 | wherefores | wherefore | NOUN | Number=Plur | 2 whys | conj |
| 5 | : | : | PUNCT | _ | 8 reasons | punct |
| 6 | all | all | DET | PronType=Tot | 8 reasons | det:predet |
| 7 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 8 reasons | det |
| 8 | reasons | reason | NOUN | Number=Plur | 2 whys | conj |
| 9 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 10 details | cc |
| 10 | details | detail | NOUN | Number=Plur | 8 reasons | conj |
| 11 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 2 whys | punct |
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.
Example 1
«Wherefore art thou Romeo?» asks why he is Romeo, not where he is.
The tree, 13 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | « | « | PUNCT | _ | 3 art | punct |
| 2 | Wherefore | wherefore | ADV | PronType=Int | 3 art | advmod |
| 3 | art | be | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=2 Style=Arch Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 8 asks | ccomp |
| 4 | thou | thou | PRON | Case=Nom Number=Sing Person=2 PronType=Prs Style=Arch | 3 art | obj |
| 5 | Romeo | Romeo | PROPN | Number=Sing | 4 thou | flat |
| 6 | ? | ? | PUNCT | _ | 3 art | punct |
| 7 | » | » | PUNCT | _ | 3 art | punct |
| 8 | asks | ask | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 9 | why | why | ADV | PronType=Int | 8 asks | advmod |
| 10 | he | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 12 Romeo | nsubj |
| 11 | is | be | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 12 Romeo | cop |
| 12 | Romeo | Romeo | PROPN | Number=Sing | 9 why | nsubj |
| 13 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 17 is | punct |
| 14 | not | not | PART | Polarity=Neg | 17 is | advmod |
| 15 | where | where | ADV | PronType=Rel | 17 is | advmod |
| 16 | he | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 17 is | nsubj |
| 17 | is | be | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 12 Romeo | acl:relcl |
| 18 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 8 asks | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ask speech: ask | present | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent | ||||||
| 2 | is a | present | he | Romeo | tree rules | ||||
| 3 | not be | present | Romeo | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
Example 2
I don't need all the whys and wherefores, just tell me what happened.
The tree, 14 words
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | I | PRON | Case=Nom Number=Sing Person=1 PronType=Prs | 4 need | nsubj |
| 2 | do | do | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=1 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 4 need | aux |
| 3 | n't | not | PART | Polarity=Neg | 4 need | advmod |
| 4 | need | need | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | root | root |
| 5 | all | all | DET | PronType=Tot | 7 whys | det:predet |
| 6 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 7 whys | det |
| 7 | whys | why | NOUN | Number=Plur | 4 need | obj |
| 8 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 9 wherefores | cc |
| 9 | wherefores | wherefore | NOUN | Number=Plur | 7 whys | conj |
| 10 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 12 tell | punct |
| 11 | just | just | ADV | _ | 12 tell | advmod |
| 12 | tell | tell | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | 4 need | parataxis |
| 13 | me | I | PRON | Case=Acc Number=Sing Person=1 PronType=Prs | 12 tell | iobj |
| 14 | what | what | PRON | PronType=Int | 15 happened | nsubj |
| 15 | happened | happen | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | 12 tell | ccomp |
| 16 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 4 need | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | not need | present · do-support | I | all whys and wherefores | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot why=Theme | ||||
| 2 | tell speech: assert | infinitive | me | vn transfer_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP what S»: agent=Agent i=Recipient clause=Topic | |||||
| 3 | happen | past | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
Example 3
Wherefore do you weep? (old)
Sentence 1: Wherefore do you weep?
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wherefore | wherefore | ADV | PronType=Int | 4 weep | advmod |
| 2 | do | do | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=2 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | 4 weep | aux |
| 3 | you | you | PRON | Case=Nom Person=2 PronType=Prs | 4 weep | nsubj |
| 4 | weep | weep | VERB | VerbForm=Inf | root | root |
| 5 | ? | ? | PUNCT | _ | 4 weep | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | weep | present · do-support | you | wherefore property | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
Sentence 2: (old)
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ( | ( | PUNCT | _ | 2 old | punct |
| 2 | old | old | ADJ | Degree=Pos | root | root |
| 3 | ) | ) | PUNCT | _ | 2 old | punct |
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.
Example 4
The teacher explained the whys and wherefores of the rule.
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 2 teacher | det |
| 2 | teacher | teacher | NOUN | Number=Sing | 3 explained | nsubj |
| 3 | explained | explain | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 4 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 5 whys | det |
| 5 | whys | why | NOUN | Number=Plur | 3 explained | obj |
| 6 | and | and | CCONJ | _ | 7 wherefores | cc |
| 7 | wherefores | wherefore | NOUN | Number=Plur | 5 whys | conj |
| 8 | of | of | ADP | _ | 10 rule | case |
| 9 | the | the | DET | Definite=Def PronType=Art | 10 rule | det |
| 10 | rule | rule | NOUN | Number=Sing | 7 wherefores | nmod |
| 11 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 3 explained | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | explain speech: assert | past | the teacher | the whys and wherefores of the rule | vn transfer_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent why=Topic |
Example 5
In old plays, wherefore means why.
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In | in | ADP | _ | 3 plays | case |
| 2 | old | old | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 3 plays | amod |
| 3 | plays | play | NOUN | Number=Plur | 6 means | obl |
| 4 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 6 means | punct |
| 5 | wherefore | wherefore | ADV | PronType=Int | 6 means | advmod |
| 6 | means | mean | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin | root | root |
| 7 | why | why | ADV | PronType=Int | 6 means | advmod |
| 8 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 6 means | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mean | present | in old plays; wherefore property | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot in play=Attribute |
Example 6
(old) He was tired, wherefore he went to bed.
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ( | ( | PUNCT | _ | 2 old | punct |
| 2 | old | old | ADJ | Degree=Pos | 6 tired | nsubj |
| 3 | ) | ) | PUNCT | _ | 2 old | punct |
| 4 | He | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 6 tired | nsubj |
| 5 | was | be | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | 6 tired | cop |
| 6 | tired | tired | ADJ | Degree=Pos | root | root |
| 7 | , | , | PUNCT | _ | 10 went | punct |
| 8 | wherefore | wherefore | ADV | PronType=Int | 10 went | advmod |
| 9 | he | he | PRON | Case=Nom Gender=Masc Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs | 10 went | nsubj |
| 10 | went | go | VERB | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | 6 tired | conj |
| 11 | to | to | ADP | _ | 12 bed | case |
| 12 | bed | bed | NOUN | Number=Sing | 10 went | obl |
| 13 | . | . | PUNCT | _ | 6 tired | punct |
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | is | past | old | tired property | tree rules | ||||
| 2 | go | past | he | bed | wherefore property | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial_location»: agent=Theme to bed=Initial_Location |
Example 7
"Wherefore did ye tarry so long?"
The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)
| # | word | lemma | UPOS | features | head | relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | " | " | PUNCT | _ | 5 tarry | punct |
| 2 | Wherefore | wherefore | ADV | PronType=Int | 5 tarry | advmod |
| 3 | did | do | AUX | Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin | 5 tarry | aux |
| 4 | ye | ye | PRON | Case=Nom Number=Plur Person=2 PronType=Prs Style=Arch | 5 tarry | nsubj |
| 5 | tarry | tarry | ADJ | Degree=Pos | root | root |
| 6 | so | so | ADV | _ | 7 long | advmod |
| 7 | long | long | ADV | Degree=Pos | 5 tarry | advmod |
| 8 | ? | ? | PUNCT | _ | 5 tarry | punct |
| 9 | " | " | PUNCT | _ | 5 tarry | punct |
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.
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/W/wherefore/