Test 9 · Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes Jayden says, "why's ils parlent not got the -ent bit, that's proper sus." ("Sus" means odd.) Which rule explains it?
Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 4 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: Jayden, ils parlent, that, Sus, rule · What happens: say, not get, be, mean, explain · To what, where: ent bit, proper sus, sus · Speech: someone speaks here
This is test 9 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: Jayden says, "why's ils parlent not got the -ent bit, that's proper sus."
nsubj punct punct advmod cop flat:foreign nsubj advmod parataxis det punct compound obj punct nsubj cop amod appos punct punct root Jayden PROPN says VERB , PUNCT " PUNCT why ADV 's AUX ils X parlent X not PART got VERB the DET - PUNCT ent NOUN bit NOUN , PUNCT that PRON 's AUX proper ADJ sus NOUN . PUNCT " PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Jayden Jayden PROPN Number=Sing 2 says nsubj 2 says say VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 3 , , PUNCT _ 2 says punct 4 " " PUNCT _ 10 got punct 5 why why ADV PronType=Int 10 got advmod 6 's be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 8 parlent cop 7 ils ils X Foreign=Yes 8 parlent flat:foreign 8 parlent parlent X Foreign=Yes 10 got nsubj 9 not not PART Polarity=Neg 10 got advmod 10 got get VERB Mood=Ind Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin 2 says parataxis 11 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 14 bit det 12 - - PUNCT _ 11 the punct 13 ent ent NOUN Number=Sing 14 bit compound 14 bit bit NOUN Number=Sing 10 got obj 15 , , PUNCT _ 19 sus punct 16 that that PRON Number=Sing PronType=Dem 19 sus nsubj 17 's be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 19 sus cop 18 proper proper ADJ Degree=Pos 19 sus amod 19 sus sus NOUN Number=Sing 14 bit appos 20 . . PUNCT _ 10 got punct 21 " " PUNCT _ 10 got punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 say speech: assert present Jayden vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic 2 not get in a quote past ils parlent the ent bit vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer bit=Stimulus 3 is a in a quote present that proper sus 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: ("Sus" means odd.)
punct punct nsubj punct xcomp punct punct root ( PUNCT " PUNCT Sus NOUN " PUNCT means VERB odd ADJ . PUNCT ) PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 ( ( PUNCT _ 5 means punct 2 " " PUNCT _ 3 Sus punct 3 Sus sus NOUN Number=Sing 5 means nsubj 4 " " PUNCT _ 3 Sus punct 5 means mean VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 6 odd odd ADJ Degree=Pos 5 means xcomp 7 . . PUNCT _ 5 means punct 8 ) ) PUNCT _ 5 means punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 mean present Sus odd property vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent
Sentence 3: Which rule explains it?
det nsubj obj punct root Which DET rule NOUN explains VERB it PRON ? PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Which which DET PronType=Int 2 rule det 2 rule rule NOUN Number=Sing 3 explains nsubj 3 explains explain VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 4 it it PRON Case=Acc Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs 3 explains obj 5 ? ? PUNCT _ 3 explains punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 explain speech: assert present which rule sus vn transfer_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic
The options Option 1 · ← Mova's choice Only boys' names drop the -ent ending
advmod nmod:poss case nsubj det punct compound obj root Only ADV boys NOUN ' PART names NOUN drop VERB the DET - PUNCT ent NOUN ending NOUN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Only only ADV _ 2 boys advmod 2 boys boy NOUN Number=Plur 4 names nmod:poss 3 ' 's PART _ 2 boys case 4 names name NOUN Number=Plur 5 drop nsubj 5 drop drop VERB Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 6 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 9 ending det 7 - - PUNCT _ 6 the punct 8 ent ent NOUN Number=Sing 9 ending compound 9 ending ending NOUN Number=Sing 5 drop obj
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 drop present boys's names the ent ending vn put_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ending=Theme 2 name boys nom name «communication transitive»: poss=agent
Option 2 The -ent is only silent when you whisper
det punct nsubj cop advmod mark nsubj advcl root The DET - PUNCT ent NOUN is AUX only ADV silent ADJ when SCONJ you PRON whisper VERB The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 The the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 3 ent det 2 - - PUNCT _ 1 The punct 3 ent ent NOUN Number=Sing 6 silent nsubj 4 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 silent cop 5 only only ADV _ 6 silent advmod 6 silent silent ADJ Degree=Pos root root 7 when when SCONJ _ 9 whisper mark 8 you you PRON Case=Nom Person=2 PronType=Prs 9 whisper nsubj 9 whisper whisper VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=2 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 silent advcl
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present the ent silent property tree rules 2 whisper speech: assert present you vn manner_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent
Option 3 French people are too lazy to say the ends
amod nsubj cop advmod mark csubj det obj root French ADJ people NOUN are AUX too ADV lazy ADJ to PART say VERB the DET ends NOUN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 French French ADJ Degree=Pos 2 people amod 2 people people NOUN Number=Plur 5 lazy nsubj 3 are be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 5 lazy cop 4 too too ADV _ 5 lazy advmod 5 lazy lazy ADJ Degree=Pos root root 6 to to PART _ 7 say mark 7 say say VERB VerbForm=Inf 5 lazy csubj 8 the the DET Definite=Def PronType=Art 9 ends det 9 ends end NOUN Number=Plur 7 say obj
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present French people lazy property tree rules 2 say speech: assert to-infinitive the ends vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent end=Topic
Option 4 · ✓ the right answer After ils or elles, a verb's -ent is silent
case obl cc conj punct det nmod:poss case punct nsubj cop root After ADP ils NOUN or CCONJ elles NOUN , PUNCT a DET verb NOUN 's PART - PUNCT ent NOUN is AUX silent ADJ The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 After after ADP _ 2 ils case 2 ils il NOUN Number=Plur 12 silent obl 3 or or CCONJ _ 4 elles cc 4 elles elle NOUN Number=Plur 2 ils conj 5 , , PUNCT _ 2 ils punct 6 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 7 verb det 7 verb verb NOUN Number=Sing 10 ent nmod:poss 8 's 's PART _ 7 verb case 9 - - PUNCT _ 10 ent punct 10 ent ent NOUN Number=Sing 12 silent nsubj 11 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 12 silent cop 12 silent silent ADJ Degree=Pos root root
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present a verb's ent after ils or elles silent property tree rules
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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