Keeping promises Lesson 86 of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school: 18 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: the lesson at school .
0 A promise is your word given for the future: when you say "I will", other people plan around it and count on you. 1 Ava promised to help her little brother build his Lego castle on Saturday morning, then her mate texts "cinema??? 10am"; a more fun plan is not a reason to break her word, though she can honestly ask him to swap days. 2 A promise you meant but couldn't keep because of a real emergency is not a lie, but it still needs an apology and making up for it; a promise to hide wrongdoing does not bind you at all. 4 The wise way is to promise only what lies within your power, be clear about when, and keep small promises faithfully even when nobody would find out. 5 Psalm 15 praises the one "who keeps an oath even when it hurts" (Psalm 15:4). 6 A promise is a real duty: only a stronger duty, like helping someone who is hurt, can outweigh it, not a better offer. 7 Christians believe God always keeps his promises ("he who promised is faithful", Hebrews 10:23); a promise broken by a real emergency, honestly explained, is not a lie. 8 A promise to hide wrongdoing does not bind you; Herod kept a wicked oath, and it cost John the Baptist his life (Mark 6:22-28). 9 "Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble" (Proverbs 25:19); children who see promises broken again and again learn not to hope. 10 "It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfil it" (Ecclesiastes 5:5). 12 "A trustworthy person keeps a secret" (Proverbs 11:13); being trusted to keep something safe is an honour. 13 "Well done, good and faithful servant! 14 You have been faithful with a few things" (Matthew 25:21): tell even if no one would find out you slipped. 15 When life changes a lot, like losing a job, the promiser should explain honestly, and the other person should try to understand; love "is not self-seeking" (1 Corinthians 13:5). 16 James says to speak of the future with "If it is the Lord's will" (James 4:13-15); promise only what lies within your power. 17 Words like "now now" (South Africa: soon, in a bit) change from place to place; when it matters, say exactly when. 18 Ruth promised Naomi, "Where you go I will go" (Ruth 1:16); going home to her own people would have been easier, but she kept her word, stayed with Naomi and became the great-grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17). 19 Slang check: "howay" (Newcastle) means come on; "bare" (London) means lots of. ← previous Pretend, cover stories and lies that become habitsnext → Good secrets and bad secrets↑ back to Religion ethics This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/86-keeping-promises/