Test 8 · Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes Emily is cross: "Where's the z in les amis? There isn't one!" What would happen if the teacher kept the s silent?
Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 3 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: Emily, one, teacher · What happens: be, not be, happen, keep · To what, where: z, amis
This is test 8 of lesson 1 «Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes» of the French 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: Emily is cross: "Where's the z in les amis?
nsubj cop punct punct advmod cop det obl case det nmod punct root Emily PROPN is AUX cross ADJ : PUNCT " PUNCT Where ADV 's AUX the DET z NOUN in ADP les DET amis NOUN ? PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Emily Emily PROPN Number=Sing 3 cross nsubj 2 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 3 cross cop 3 cross cross ADJ Degree=Pos root root 4 : : PUNCT _ 9 z punct 5 " " PUNCT _ 9 z punct 6 Where where ADV PronType=Rel 9 z advmod 7 's be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 9 z cop 8 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 9 z det 9 z z NOUN Number=Sing 3 cross obl 10 in in ADP _ 12 amis case 11 les les DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 12 amis det 12 amis ami NOUN Number=Plur 9 z nmod 13 ? ? PUNCT _ 3 cross punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present Emily cross property tree rules 2 is a in a quote present the z les amis tree rules
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: There isn't one!"
expl advmod nsubj punct punct root There PRON is VERB n't PART one NUM ! PUNCT " PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 There there PRON PronType=Dem 2 is expl 2 is be VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 3 n't not PART Polarity=Neg 2 is advmod 4 one one NUM NumForm=Word NumType=Card 2 is nsubj 5 ! ! PUNCT _ 4 one punct 6 " " PUNCT _ 2 is punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 not be present one there vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
Sentence 3: What would happen if the teacher kept the s silent?
nsubj aux mark det nsubj advcl det advmod xcomp punct root What PRON would AUX happen VERB if SCONJ the DET teacher NOUN kept VERB the DET s X silent ADJ ? PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 What what PRON PronType=Int 3 happen nsubj 2 would would AUX VerbForm=Fin 3 happen aux 3 happen happen VERB VerbForm=Inf root root 4 if if SCONJ _ 7 kept mark 5 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 6 teacher det 6 teacher teacher NOUN Number=Sing 7 kept nsubj 7 kept keep VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin 3 happen advcl 8 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 10 silent det 9 s s X _ 10 silent advmod 10 silent silent ADJ Degree=Pos 7 kept xcomp 11 ? ? PUNCT _ 3 happen punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 happen would vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme 2 keep a condition, not said to happen past the teacher silent property vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent
The options Option 1 · ← Mova's choice The word amis would lose its first letter too
det compound nsubj aux nmod:poss amod obj advmod root The DET word NOUN amis NOUN would AUX lose VERB its PRON first ADJ letter NOUN too ADV The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 The the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 3 amis det 2 word word NOUN Number=Sing 3 amis compound 3 amis ami NOUN Number=Plur 5 lose nsubj 4 would would AUX VerbForm=Fin 5 lose aux 5 lose lose VERB VerbForm=Inf root root 6 its its PRON Case=Gen Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs 8 letter nmod:poss 7 first first ADJ Degree=Pos NumForm=Word NumType=Ord 8 letter amod 8 letter letter NOUN Number=Sing 5 lose obj 9 too too ADV _ 5 lose advmod
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 lose would the word amis its first letter vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent letter=Eventuality 2 letter its = it nom letter «communication transitive»: poss=agent
Option 2 It would turn into a different word meaning "the enemies"
nsubj aux case det amod obl acl punct det obl punct root It PRON would AUX turn VERB into ADP a DET different ADJ word NOUN meaning VERB " PUNCT the DET enemies NOUN " PUNCT 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 3 turn nsubj 2 would would AUX VerbForm=Fin 3 turn aux 3 turn turn VERB VerbForm=Inf root root 4 into into ADP _ 7 word case 5 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 7 word det 6 different different ADJ Degree=Pos 7 word amod 7 word word NOUN Number=Sing 3 turn obl 8 meaning mean VERB VerbForm=Ger 7 word acl 9 " " PUNCT _ 11 enemies punct 10 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 11 enemies det 11 enemies enemy NOUN Number=Plur 8 meaning obl 12 " " PUNCT _ 11 enemies punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 turn would It a different word vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V PP.trajectory»: agent=Theme into word=Trajectory 2 mean gerund a different word not said here the enemies vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent
Option 3 · ✓ the right answer It would sound like "lay a-MEE", which is not how French people say it
The tree, 15 words nsubj aux mark punct advcl det punct obj punct punct nsubj cop advmod advmod conj nsubj conj obj root It PRON would AUX sound VERB like SCONJ " PUNCT lay VERB a DET - PUNCT MEE PROPN " PUNCT , PUNCT which PRON is AUX not PART how ADV French ADJ people NOUN say VERB it PRON 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 3 sound nsubj 2 would would AUX VerbForm=Fin 3 sound aux 3 sound sound VERB VerbForm=Inf root root 4 like like SCONJ _ 6 lay mark 5 " " PUNCT _ 6 lay punct 6 lay lay VERB VerbForm=Inf 3 sound advcl 7 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 9 MEE det 8 - - PUNCT _ 9 MEE punct 9 MEE MEE PROPN Number=Sing 6 lay obj 10 " " PUNCT _ 3 sound punct 11 , , PUNCT _ 16 French punct 12 which which PRON PronType=Rel 16 French nsubj 13 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 16 French cop 14 not not PART Polarity=Neg 16 French advmod 15 how how ADV PronType=Int 16 French advmod 16 French French ADJ Degree=Pos 3 sound conj 17 people people NOUN Number=Plur 18 say nsubj 18 say say VERB Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 16 French conj 19 it it PRON Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs 18 say obj
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 sound would It vn stimulus_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus 2 lay in a quote infinitive a MEE vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mee=Result 3 not is present french property tree rules 4 say speech: assert present people MEE vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent it=Topic
Option 4 Nothing, the French never join words together
advcl punct det nsubj advmod obj advmod root Nothing PRON , PUNCT the DET French PROPN never ADV join VERB words NOUN together ADV The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Nothing nothing PRON Number=Sing PronType=Neg 6 join advcl 2 , , PUNCT _ 1 Nothing punct 3 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 4 French det 4 French French PROPN Number=Sing 6 join nsubj 5 never never ADV PronType=Neg 6 join advmod 6 join join VERB Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 7 words word NOUN Number=Plur 6 join obj 8 together together ADV _ 6 join advmod
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 not join present the French words together property vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent word=Patient
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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