Test 5 · ★ · Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were"… A cousin from Newcastle says "Howay, man, we was robbed!" about a football match. ("Howay" means come on.) Is this wrong to say at the match?
Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 3 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: cousin, Howay, this · What happens: say, rob, mean, come on, be · To what, where: Howay, match · Speech: someone speaks here
This is test 5 · ★ of lesson 38 «Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were" in writing» of the English course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: the test at school .
The question Sentence 1: A cousin from Newcastle says "Howay, man, we was robbed!" about a football match.
det nsubj case nmod punct nsubj:pass punct nsubj:pass punct nsubj:pass aux:pass ccomp punct punct case det compound obl punct root A DET cousin NOUN from ADP Newcastle PROPN says VERB " PUNCT Howay PROPN , PUNCT man NOUN , PUNCT we PRON was AUX robbed VERB ! PUNCT " PUNCT about ADP a DET football NOUN match NOUN . PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 A a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 2 cousin det 2 cousin cousin NOUN Number=Sing 5 says nsubj 3 from from ADP _ 4 Newcastle case 4 Newcastle Newcastle PROPN Number=Sing 2 cousin nmod 5 says say VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 6 " " PUNCT _ 7 Howay punct 7 Howay Howay PROPN Number=Sing 13 robbed nsubj:pass 8 , , PUNCT _ 9 man punct 9 man man NOUN Number=Sing 13 robbed nsubj:pass 10 , , PUNCT _ 9 man punct 11 we we PRON Case=Nom Number=Plur Person=1 PronType=Prs 13 robbed nsubj:pass 12 was be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin 13 robbed aux:pass 13 robbed rob VERB Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass 5 says ccomp 14 ! ! PUNCT _ 13 robbed punct 15 " " PUNCT _ 13 robbed punct 16 about about ADP _ 19 match case 17 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 19 match det 18 football football NOUN Number=Sing 19 match compound 19 match match NOUN Number=Sing 13 robbed obl 20 . . PUNCT _ 5 says punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 say speech: express present a cousin from Newcastle vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic 2 rob in a quote past · passive Howay about a football match vn cheat-10.6.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Source
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.
Sentence 2: ("Howay" means come on.)
punct punct nsubj punct ccomp advmod punct punct root ( PUNCT " PUNCT Howay PROPN " PUNCT means VERB come VERB on ADV . PUNCT ) PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 ( ( PUNCT _ 5 means punct 2 " " PUNCT _ 3 Howay punct 3 Howay Howay PROPN Number=Sing 5 means nsubj 4 " " PUNCT _ 3 Howay punct 5 means mean VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 6 come come VERB VerbForm=Inf 5 means ccomp 7 on on ADV _ 6 come advmod 8 . . PUNCT _ 5 means punct 9 ) ) PUNCT _ 5 means punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 mean present Howay vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic 2 come on infinitive vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
Sentence 3: Is this wrong to say at the match?
cop nsubj mark csubj case det obl punct root Is AUX this PRON wrong ADJ to PART say VERB at ADP the DET match NOUN ? PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 3 wrong cop 2 this this PRON Number=Sing PronType=Dem 3 wrong nsubj 3 wrong wrong ADJ Degree=Pos root root 4 to to PART _ 5 say mark 5 say say VERB VerbForm=Inf 3 wrong csubj 6 at at ADP _ 8 match case 7 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 8 match det 8 match match NOUN Number=Sing 5 say obl 9 ? ? PUNCT _ 3 wrong punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present this wrong property tree rules 2 say speech: assert to-infinitive the match vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent
The options Option 1 · ← Mova's choice Yes, "howay" is not a real word
discourse punct punct nsubj punct cop advmod det amod root Yes INTJ , PUNCT " PUNCT howay NOUN " PUNCT is AUX not PART a DET real ADJ word NOUN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Yes yes INTJ Polarity=Pos 10 word discourse 2 , , PUNCT _ 1 Yes punct 3 " " PUNCT _ 4 howay punct 4 howay howay NOUN Number=Sing 10 word nsubj 5 " " PUNCT _ 4 howay punct 6 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 10 word cop 7 not not PART Polarity=Neg 10 word advmod 8 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 10 word det 9 real real ADJ Degree=Pos 10 word amod 10 word word NOUN Number=Sing root root
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 not is a present howay a real word tree rules
Option 2 No, but only because it's about football
discourse punct cc advmod mark nsubj cop case root No INTJ , PUNCT but CCONJ only ADV because SCONJ it PRON 's AUX about ADP football NOUN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 No no INTJ Polarity=Neg 9 football discourse 2 , , PUNCT _ 9 football punct 3 but but CCONJ _ 9 football cc 4 only only ADV _ 9 football advmod 5 because because SCONJ _ 9 football mark 6 it it PRON Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs 9 football nsubj 7 's be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 9 football cop 8 about about ADP _ 9 football case 9 football football NOUN Number=Sing root root
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present it about football tree rules
Option 3 · ✓ the right answer No, it's natural dialect for talking with mates
discourse punct nsubj cop amod mark acl case obl root No INTJ , PUNCT it PRON 's AUX natural ADJ dialect NOUN for SCONJ talking VERB with ADP mates NOUN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 No no INTJ Polarity=Neg 6 dialect discourse 2 , , PUNCT _ 1 No punct 3 it it PRON Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs 6 dialect nsubj 4 's be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 dialect cop 5 natural natural ADJ Degree=Pos 6 dialect amod 6 dialect dialect NOUN Number=Sing root root 7 for for SCONJ _ 8 talking mark 8 talking talk VERB VerbForm=Ger 6 dialect acl 9 with with ADP _ 10 mates case 10 mates mate NOUN Number=Plur 8 talking obl
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is a present it natural dialect tree rules 2 talk gerund natural dialect not said here with mates vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.co-agent»: agent=Agent with mate=Co-Agent
Option 4 Yes, it's always wrong to say "we was", even at a match
The tree, 13 words discourse punct nsubj cop advmod mark csubj punct nsubj ccomp punct punct advmod case det conj root Yes INTJ , PUNCT it PRON 's AUX always ADV wrong ADJ to PART say VERB " PUNCT we PRON was VERB " PUNCT , PUNCT even ADV at ADP a DET match NOUN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Yes yes INTJ Polarity=Pos 6 wrong discourse 2 , , PUNCT _ 1 Yes punct 3 it it PRON Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs 6 wrong nsubj 4 's be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 wrong cop 5 always always ADV PronType=Tot 6 wrong advmod 6 wrong wrong ADJ Degree=Pos root root 7 to to PART _ 8 say mark 8 say say VERB VerbForm=Inf 6 wrong csubj 9 " " PUNCT _ 11 was punct 10 we we PRON Case=Nom Number=Plur Person=1 PronType=Prs 11 was nsubj 11 was be VERB Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=1 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin 8 say ccomp 12 " " PUNCT _ 11 was punct 13 , , PUNCT _ 17 match punct 14 even even ADV _ 17 match advmod 15 at at ADP _ 17 match case 16 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 17 match det 17 match match NOUN Number=Sing 6 wrong conj
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present it always, wrong property tree rules 2 say speech: assert to-infinitive vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic 3 be in a quote past we vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
Text: the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (world/data/school/), as the course runner gave them to the student. 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 text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.
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