Is there one proper English? The big arguments

Tests: 5 of 11 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★★★ · Understood: 12 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 20 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 nan goes "kids today are ruining English, it was perfect in my day." What's the fair answer?

1. People have said that for centuries; English changes but keeps working — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
2. English has never changed, so it can't be ruined — score 4
3. She's right, and English was even more perfect in 1066 — no support
4. She's right, English was perfect in her day and will soon stop working — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 7, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 20, line 1: «People have moaned that the young are "ruining English" for hundreds of years: the writer Jonathan Swift complained in 1712 and wanted rules to stop English ch…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «change» (+4); the same doer «english» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Your dad says "Two negatives make a positive, so 'I ain't got no money' means you've got money!" Is he right?

1. Yes, because language works exactly like maths — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. No, it means he has exactly two pounds — no support
3. Yes, it means he has lots of money hidden somewhere — no support
4. No, everyone understands it means "I have no money" — ✓ the right answer · 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 ✗

A Gen Z cousin says "ain't is lowkey a poor people's word, always was." ("Lowkey" means kind of.) What's the fact?

1. It was only ever used in America — ← Mova's choice · score 1
2. Posh people used it too in the 1700s — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. It was invented by rappers in the 1990s — no support
4. She's right, rich people never used it — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 20, line 8: «Ain't was used by all kinds of people in the 1700s, including upper-class people; in the 1800s grammar books attacked it; today it is common in speech and song…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «use» (+3); the same thing acted on «ai» (+1). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★★★ · right ✓

What would happen if English had an official academy that banned new words?

1. People would probably keep using new words anyway — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
2. English would turn into French overnight — score 4
3. Nobody would ever say a new word again, not even once — score 3
4. All the old words would be banned too — score 3

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 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 20, line 4: «English has no boss: unlike French, which has an official Académie Française, nobody in London decides what is proper; dictionaries record how people use words…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «use» (+2); the same thing acted on «words» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★★★ · right ✓

A teacher says "In Ukrainian you say 'я нічого не знаю' (I nothing not know)." What does that show?

1. Ukrainian grammar is broken and wrong, like a mistake — no support
2. Double negatives are normal in some languages — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
3. It's a mistake that only children make — no support
4. Ukrainians mean they do know everything — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 20, line 10: «Double negatives were normal in Chaucer's English in the 1300s and are normal in Ukrainian and French; standard English uses only one.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same property (+3); the same doer «double negatives» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★★★ · right ✓

A Sheffield dad says "We was robbed, that weren't a penalty!" ("Weren't" here means wasn't.) Is he stupid?

1. Yes, he doesn't know any grammar at all — no support
2. No, he's speaking French by mistake — no support
3. Yes, Sheffield people can't speak English — no support
4. No, he's using his dialect, which everyone understands — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 20, line 2: «Standard English is the kind taught at school and used in formal writing; dialects like "we was robbed" or "I don't want no dinner" have their own grammar, and…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «understand» (+4); the same thing acted on «dialects» (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

In a cartoon, a grammar robot says "To boldly go is ILLEGAL!" and explodes. What's the truth?

1. The robot is right, Star Trek was banned — no support
2. Most modern style guides say "to boldly go" is fine — ✓ the right answer · score 0
3. It really is illegal in Britain to split an infinitive — ← Mova's choice · score 7
4. It's illegal only in space films — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 7, against 0 for the next best. Its support: lesson 20, line 3: «Many "rules" are younger than you'd think: "ain't" was used by posh people in the 1700s before grammar books attacked it, and the "never split an infinitive" r…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «split» (+5); it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «infinitive» (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). The right option, 2, scored 0. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★★★ · right ✓

A man on a phone-in says "speak properly, like they decide in London!" Who actually decides?

1. Nobody officially; dictionaries follow how people use words — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
2. The King and the Prime Minister together — no support
3. The teachers of one school in Oxford — no support
4. A group of judges in London who meet every Friday — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 20, line 4: «English has no boss: unlike French, which has an official Académie Française, nobody in London decides what is proper; dictionaries record how people use words…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same doer «dictionaries» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Your Nigerian mate says "I'm coming" and walks out. Your nan thinks he's rude. What's going on?

1. He has misheard and thinks someone called him — ← Mova's choice · score 8
2. He's being rude and never coming back — no support
3. In Nigerian English it can mean "I'll be back soon" — ✓ the right answer · score 4
4. He's lost and doesn't know where he's going — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 8, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 20, line 18: «In Nigerian English "I'm coming" can mean "I'll be back soon" when someone steps out of a room.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same doer «someone» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). The right option, 3, scored 4. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Puzzle: "I never said nothing to nobody." How many negative words are in it?

1. One: never — ← Mova's choice · score 9
2. Three: never, nothing, nobody — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. Two: never and nothing — no support
4. Four: I, never, nothing, nobody — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 9, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 8, line 1: «Tense is the form of a verb that shows when something happens: I go (present), I went (past); time words like "yesterday" and "tomorrow" must match the verb, s…», 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 «verb» (+3); the same doer «time words» (+2). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★★★ · wrong ✗

Puzzle: in standard English one negative is enough. Which sentence means the same as "I don't want no dinner" in standard English?

1. I want no dinner and some — score 0
2. I don't not want dinner — ← Mova's choice · score 5
3. I do want some dinner — score 0
4. I don't want any dinner — ✓ the right answer · score 5

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 20, line 2: «Standard English is the kind taught at school and used in formal writing; dialects like "we was robbed" or "I don't want no dinner" have their own grammar, and…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «dinner» (+3); the same action «want» (+2). The right option, 4, scored 5. · 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 process of change in the English language?

1. A complete cessation of change since 1712 — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. Alteration directed annually by royal command — no support
3. Continuous alteration, which does not in itself constitute deterioration — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. A steady decline toward eventual unintelligibility within a century — 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 2 · formal language · right ✓

Identify the meaning ordinarily conveyed by the utterance "I don't want no dinner".

1. The speaker does not wish to have dinner — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. The speaker wishes to have dinner — no support
3. The utterance conveys no meaning whatsoever — no support
4. The speaker wishes to have two dinners — 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 3 · formal language · right ✓

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the regulation of the English language.

1. An academy in London determines all permissible words — no support
2. No official body governs English; dictionaries record usage — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
3. The BBC is empowered by statute to prohibit words — no support
4. Parliament publishes an annual list of approved words — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 20, line 4: «English has no boss: unlike French, which has an official Académie Française, nobody in London decides what is proper; dictionaries record how people use words…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «record» (+4); the same doer «dictionaries» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

In respect of the expression "to boldly go", which statement is most accurate?

1. It is acceptable in Latin but not in English — ← Mova's choice · score 4
2. It is prohibited by law in the United Kingdom — no support
3. Most modern authorities regard it as acceptable — ✓ the right answer · no support
4. It is universally condemned as a grave error — score 2

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 4, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 7, line 1: «English has four kinds of sentence: a statement tells (The cake is huge.), a question asks (What is that cake?), a command tells someone to do something (Eat t…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same doer «statement» (+1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

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