Test 10 · British and American words Ella from Leeds says "Mam, can I have a biscuit?" Her friend says "Mam" is wrong. What's true?
Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 4 · wrong ✗ · Who acts: Ella, friend, Mam · What happens: say, have, be · To what, where: Mam, biscuit · Speech: someone speaks here
This is test 10 of lesson 21 «British and American words» of the language 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: Ella from Leeds says "Mam, can I have a biscuit?"
nsubj case nmod punct obj punct aux nsubj ccomp det obj punct punct root Ella PROPN from ADP Leeds PROPN says VERB " PUNCT Mam PROPN , PUNCT can AUX I PRON have VERB a DET biscuit NOUN ? PUNCT " PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Ella Ella PROPN Number=Sing 4 says nsubj 2 from from ADP _ 3 Leeds case 3 Leeds Leeds PROPN Number=Sing 1 Ella nmod 4 says say VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 5 " " PUNCT _ 6 Mam punct 6 Mam Mam PROPN Number=Sing 4 says obj 7 , , PUNCT _ 10 have punct 8 can can AUX VerbForm=Fin 10 have aux 9 I I PRON Case=Nom Number=Sing Person=1 PronType=Prs 10 have nsubj 10 have have VERB VerbForm=Inf 4 says ccomp 11 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 12 biscuit det 12 biscuit biscuit NOUN Number=Sing 10 have obj 13 ? ? PUNCT _ 10 have punct 14 " " PUNCT _ 10 have punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 say speech: ask present Ella from Leeds Mam tree rules 2 have in a quote can Ella from Leeds = ella a biscuit vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent biscuit=Patient
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: Her friend says "Mam" is wrong.
nmod:poss nsubj punct nsubj punct cop ccomp punct root Her PRON friend NOUN says VERB " PUNCT Mam PROPN " PUNCT is AUX wrong ADJ . PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 Her her PRON Case=Gen Gender=Fem Number=Sing Person=3 Poss=Yes PronType=Prs 2 friend nmod:poss 2 friend friend NOUN Number=Sing 3 says nsubj 3 says say VERB Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin root root 4 " " PUNCT _ 5 Mam punct 5 Mam Mam PROPN Number=Sing 8 wrong nsubj 6 " " PUNCT _ 5 Mam punct 7 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 8 wrong cop 8 wrong wrong ADJ Degree=Pos 3 says ccomp 9 . . PUNCT _ 3 says punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 say speech: assert present Ella's friend vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent 2 is present Mam wrong property tree rules
Sentence 3: What's true?
nsubj cop punct root What PRON 's AUX true ADJ ? PUNCT The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 What what PRON PronType=Int 3 true nsubj 2 's be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 3 true cop 3 true true ADJ Degree=Pos root root 4 ? ? PUNCT _ 3 true punct
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present true property tree rules
The options Option 1 · ← Mova's choice "Mam" is American slang
punct nsubj punct cop amod root " PUNCT Mam NOUN " PUNCT is AUX American ADJ slang NOUN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 2 Mam mam NOUN Number=Sing 6 slang nsubj 3 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 4 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 slang cop 5 American American ADJ Degree=Pos 6 slang amod 6 slang slang NOUN Number=Sing root root
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is a present Mam American slang tree rules
Option 2 "Mam" is only used for grandmas, never for mothers, in any part of Britain
The tree, 14 words punct nsubj:pass punct aux:pass advmod case obl punct advmod case obl punct case det parataxis case nmod root " PUNCT Mam NOUN " PUNCT is AUX only ADV used VERB for ADP grandmas NOUN , PUNCT never ADV for ADP mothers NOUN , PUNCT in ADP any DET part NOUN of ADP Britain PROPN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 2 Mam mam NOUN Number=Sing 6 used nsubj:pass 3 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 4 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 used aux:pass 5 only only ADV _ 6 used advmod 6 used use VERB Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass root root 7 for for ADP _ 8 grandmas case 8 grandmas grandma NOUN Number=Plur 6 used obl 9 , , PUNCT _ 12 mothers punct 10 never never ADV PronType=Neg 12 mothers advmod 11 for for ADP _ 12 mothers case 12 mothers mother NOUN Number=Plur 6 used obl 13 , , PUNCT _ 16 part punct 14 in in ADP _ 16 part case 15 any any DET PronType=Ind 16 part det 16 part part NOUN Number=Sing 6 used parataxis 17 of of ADP _ 18 Britain case 18 Britain Britain PROPN Number=Sing 16 part nmod
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 use present · passive Mam for grandmas; for mothers vn use-105.1 «NP V NP PP.predicate»: subject=Theme for grandma=Eventuality
Option 3 "Mam" is a typo for "Mum" that spread because of phones autocorrecting
The tree, 12 words punct nsubj punct cop det case punct nmod punct nsubj parataxis case fixed obl advcl root " PUNCT Mam NOUN " PUNCT is AUX a DET typo NOUN for ADP " PUNCT Mum NOUN " PUNCT that PRON spread VERB because ADP of ADP phones NOUN autocorrecting VERB The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 2 Mam mam NOUN Number=Sing 6 typo nsubj 3 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 4 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 typo cop 5 a a DET Definite=Ind PronType=Art 6 typo det 6 typo typo NOUN Number=Sing root root 7 for for ADP _ 9 Mum case 8 " " PUNCT _ 9 Mum punct 9 Mum mum NOUN Number=Sing 6 typo nmod 10 " " PUNCT _ 9 Mum punct 11 that that PRON PronType=Rel 12 spread nsubj 12 spread spread VERB Mood=Ind Number=Plur Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 6 typo parataxis 13 because because ADP ExtPos=ADP 15 phones case 14 of of ADP _ 13 because fixed 15 phones phone NOUN Number=Plur 12 spread obl 16 autocorrecting autocorrect VERB Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part 12 spread advcl
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is a present Mam a typo for Mum tree rules 2 spread present that because phones vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme 3 autocorrect gerund that not said here tree rules
Option 4 · ✓ the right answer "Mam" is normal in parts of Northern England, Wales and Ireland
punct nsubj punct cop case obl case amod nmod punct conj cc conj root " PUNCT Mam NOUN " PUNCT is AUX normal ADJ in ADP parts NOUN of ADP Northern ADJ England PROPN , PUNCT Wales PROPN and CCONJ Ireland PROPN The words, one row each (CoNLL-U) # word lemma UPOS features head relation 1 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 2 Mam mam NOUN Number=Sing 5 normal nsubj 3 " " PUNCT _ 2 Mam punct 4 is be AUX Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin 5 normal cop 5 normal normal ADJ Degree=Pos root root 6 in in ADP _ 7 parts case 7 parts part NOUN Number=Plur 5 normal obl 8 of of ADP _ 10 England case 9 Northern Northern ADJ Degree=Pos 10 England amod 10 England England PROPN Number=Sing 7 parts nmod 11 , , PUNCT _ 12 Wales punct 12 Wales Wales PROPN Number=Sing 10 England conj 13 and and CCONJ _ 14 Ireland cc 14 Ireland Ireland PROPN Number=Sing 10 England conj
# verb tense, mood who what, whom to whom where when other roles by
1 is present Mam parts of Northern England and Wales and Ireland normal 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.
← previous British and American words, test 9next → British and American words, test 11↑ back to British and American words This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/21-british-and-american-words/t10/