Slang and how it changes with every generation

Tests: 3 of 11 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: plain · Understood: 10 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 17 of the language course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: the lesson in the corpora.

Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.

Test 1 · right ✓

Your mate goes "old people's slang is cringe, ours is the best, no cap." What's the fair view?

1. He's right, slang from today will be cool forever and never change — no support
2. Every generation's slang felt cool to them; ours will sound old one day too — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
3. Old slang had no meaning, only today's slang means something — score 4
4. Slang was only invented when phones came along — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 17, line 6: «Every generation makes its own slang; groovy (great) was big in the 1960s, cool goes back to jazz slang of the 1930s and 1940s, and bussin' (really tasty, exce…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «slang» (+3); the same doer «generation» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · wrong ✗

Your grandad, a proper boomer, says "Bussin'? Sounds like a bus." Your sister explains. What does she say?

1. It means being late for the school bus — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. It means really tasty or excellent food — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It means kissing someone on the cheek — no support
4. It means riding on a bus with friends — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · wrong ✗

What would happen if no new slang were ever made?

1. Language would change more slowly and lose one of its playful sides — ✓ the right answer · no support
2. Nothing at all, because slang has never changed English — no support
3. All the old slang would become illegal — ← Mova's choice · score 4
4. Everyone would forget how to talk within a year — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 3 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 17, line 10: «"Don't have a cow" is American slang for "don't get so upset"; it became famous through Bart Simpson in the 1990s.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «become» (+2); the same doer «slang» (+2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · wrong ✗

A Kiwi uncle texts "sweet as, the barbie's on this arvo" ("barbie" means barbecue). Your Gen Alpha cousin replies "bussin'". Do they understand each other?

1. No, sweet as means the food is too sugary — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Yes, both are happy: great, barbecue this afternoon, sounds tasty — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. No, bussin' means he's taking the bus instead — no support
4. Yes, they both say the doll is coming round — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · wrong ✗

Grandma uses "nice" for everything. A friend says "nice has always meant pleasant." What's true?

1. It is a brand-new word from the 1990s — no support
2. It meant pleasant in Latin and English never changed it — no support
3. Long ago it meant foolish; meanings drift over time — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. It has always meant pleasant since the Romans — ← Mova's choice · score -1

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score -1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 12, line 17: «A typo is a typing mistake; a mistake doesn't always mean someone doesn't know the rule.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «mean» (+3); the same property (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-6). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · wrong ✗

In a cartoon, a cowboy says "Don't have a cow!" and a real cow walks off. Why is that a joke?

1. It's not a joke, the phrase is about farming — ← Mova's choice · score 0
2. The cow understood English and felt hurt — no support
3. Cowboys really were banned from having cows — no support
4. The slang means calm down, not owning a cow — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 13, line 18: «"Ghoti" is a famous joke spelling of fish (gh as in tough, o as in women, ti as in nation); real English never uses those letters that way at the start or end…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «spelling» (+1); the same thing acted on «joke» (+1); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · wrong ✗

Your teacher says "skibidi" can't be a real word "cos it means nothing." What's interesting about that?

1. It means "toilet" in Latin, so it does mean something — no support
2. She's right, a word must always have one clear meaning or it doesn't count — ← Mova's choice · score 1
3. It is a real word only in Scotland — no support
4. Some slang is mainly about belonging to a group, and it's now in a dictionary — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2, line 10: «The word "I" always has a capital letter in English.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same property (+1); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · right ✓

Your dad says "That trick was sick!" Isaac says "Dad, nobody says sick anymore." Why did Isaac groan?

1. Sick is a very rude word in slang — no support
2. Dads are not allowed to use slang by law — no support
3. Sick only means ill, so his dad used the word wrongly — no support
4. Kids often drop slang once parents start using it — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4

Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 17, line 3: «Slang moves fast: when parents start saying "sick" or "lit", young people often drop it and invent something new; but some slang settles down and ends up in di…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «drop» (+2); the same thing acted on «slang» (+2); the same property (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · right ✓

A Canadian kid says "Grab your toque, eh, it's freezing." What should you grab?

1. A hot drink — no support
2. A hockey stick — no support
3. A woolly hat — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 11
4. A warm coat — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 11, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 17, line 14: «In Canada a "double-double" is a coffee with two creams and two sugars, and a "toque" is a knitted woolly hat.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same thing acted on «knitted woolly hat» (+3); the same property (+3); a different doer (counts against) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · wrong ✗

Your brother says "highkey this lesson is bare long." ("Bare" means very.) What does he mean?

1. This lesson is quietly a bit short — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. This lesson is really, very long — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. This lesson is long but very fun — no support
4. This lesson is in a high classroom — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · wrong ✗

A 1920s film says a dancer is "the cat's pyjamas". What would a kid say today?

1. She's sleepy and needs her bed — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. She's scared of cats and runs away — no support
3. She's amazing, she ate that — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. She's wearing cat-patterned clothes — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the phenomenon of slang?

1. Vocabulary of fixed meaning which never alters over time — no support
2. The technical language of scientists and lawyers — ← Mova's choice · score 6
3. Informal vocabulary of a particular group or period, subject to rapid change — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. Vocabulary prohibited from use in every circumstance by schools and courts — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 4: «Every language has grammar, the rules for fitting words together; "The dog ate the bone" makes sense, "Dog the bone the ate" makes people laugh, and the speake…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «language» (+3). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

Identify the principal reason for which slang terms are frequently abandoned by younger speakers.

1. Their prohibition by national dictionaries after a fixed period — no support
2. Their replacement by official decree each year — no support
3. Their physical deterioration through excessive use — no support
4. Their adoption by older speakers diminishes their value as markers of a group — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 2

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 4: «Every language has grammar, the rules for fitting words together; "The dog ate the bone" makes sense, "Dog the bone the ate" makes people laugh, and the speake…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «follow» (+3). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the word "rizz".

1. It derives from a Latin verb meaning to laugh loudly at a joke or at a friend — no support
2. It derives from "charisma" and was selected as Oxford Word of the Year for 2023 — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
3. It denotes a beverage originating in Canada — no support
4. It has never been recorded in any dictionary of English — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 17, line 7: «Rizz comes from "charisma" and means charm, the knack of getting people to like you; it was the Oxford Word of the Year for 2023.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same doer «charm» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

Ascertain the meaning of the word "nice" in Middle English.

1. Pleasant and agreeable — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Foolish — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Of considerable expense — no support
4. Of exceptionally low temperature — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/language/17-slang-and-how-it-changes-with-every-generation/