Exam question 3 · Endings that sound like «shun»: -tion, -sion, -ssion, -cian

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning words which terminate in a softer /zhun/ sound.

Mova's choice: option 2 · The right answer: option 2 · right ✓ · Who acts: you, concerning words · What happens: select, establish, concern, terminate · To what, where: response, softer zhun sound

This is exam question 3 of lesson 8 «Endings that sound like «shun»: -tion, -sion, -ssion, -cian» of the English course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. 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

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Select	select	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	3 response	det
3	response	response	NOUN	Number=Sing	1 Select	obj
4	consistent	consistent	ADJ	Degree=Pos	1 Select	xcomp
5	with	with	ADP	_	8 facts	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	8 facts	det
7	established	establish	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	8 facts	amod
8	facts	fact	NOUN	Number=Plur	4 consistent	obl
9	concerning	concern	VERB	VerbForm=Ger	10 words	amod
10	words	word	NOUN	Number=Plur	8 facts	appos
11	which	which	PRON	PronType=Rel	12 terminate	nsubj
12	terminate	terminate	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	10 words	acl:relcl
13	in	in	ADP	_	19 sound	case
14	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	19 sound	det
15	softer	soft	ADJ	Degree=Cmp	19 sound	amod
16	/	/	PUNCT	_	15 softer	punct
17	zhun	zhun	NOUN	Number=Sing	19 sound	compound
18	/	/	PUNCT	_	17 zhun	punct
19	sound	sound	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 terminate	obl
20	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Select	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	where	other	roles by
1	select	imperative	you not said here	the response		consistent property	vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme
2	establish	participle					vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot
3	concern	gerund					vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer
4	terminate	present	concerning words		a softer zhun sound		vn stop-55.4-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality

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.

The options

Option 1

Such words have no settled spelling

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Such	such	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 words	amod
2	words	word	NOUN	Number=Plur	3 have	nsubj
3	have	have	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	root	root
4	no	no	DET	PronType=Neg	6 spelling	det
5	settled	settle	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	6 spelling	amod
6	spelling	spelling	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 have	obj

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	have	present	Such words	no settled spelling					vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent spelling=Patient
2	settle	participle							vn correspond-36.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent

Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer

Such words are commonly spelled with the ending -sion

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Such	such	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 words	amod
2	words	word	NOUN	Number=Plur	5 spelled	nsubj:pass
3	are	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	5 spelled	aux:pass
4	commonly	commonly	ADJ	Degree=Pos	5 spelled	amod
5	spelled	spell	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
6	with	with	ADP	_	10 sion	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	10 sion	det
8	ending	ending	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 sion	compound
9	-	-	PUNCT	_	8 ending	punct
10	sion	sion	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 spelled	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	spell	present · passive		Such words				with the ending sion	vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: subject=Theme with sion=Manner

Option 3

Such words are invariably spelled with the ending -tion

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Such	such	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 words	amod
2	words	word	NOUN	Number=Plur	5 spelled	nsubj:pass
3	are	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	5 spelled	aux:pass
4	invariably	invariably	ADV	_	5 spelled	advmod
5	spelled	spell	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
6	with	with	ADP	_	10 tion	case
7	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	10 tion	det
8	ending	ending	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 tion	compound
9	-	-	PUNCT	_	8 ending	punct
10	tion	tion	NOUN	Number=Sing	5 spelled	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	spell	present · passive		Such words				with the ending tion; invariably property	vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: subject=Theme with tion=Manner

Option 4

Such words are spelled with the ending -shun in formal writing

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Such	such	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 words	amod
2	words	word	NOUN	Number=Plur	4 spelled	nsubj:pass
3	are	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	4 spelled	aux:pass
4	spelled	spell	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
5	with	with	ADP	_	9 shun	case
6	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 shun	det
7	ending	ending	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 shun	compound
8	-	-	PUNCT	_	9 shun	punct
9	shun	shun	NOUN	Number=Sing	4 spelled	obl
10	in	in	ADP	_	12 writing	case
11	formal	formal	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 writing	amod
12	writing	writing	NOUN	Number=Sing	9 shun	nmod

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	spell	present · passive		Such words				with the ending shun in formal writing	vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: subject=Theme with shun=Manner

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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