---
title: nay — Early Modern English dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «nay» in the Early Modern English dictionary: A word for "no", or a word that corrects what has just been said ("rather"). Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# nay

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** word, He, thou, that, they, servants · **What happens:** correct, say, do, purr, not be, buy · **To what, where:** laugh, Bagheera, food · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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«nay» in the Early Modern English dictionary: its meaning for a pupil and its 3 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [nay in the Early Modern English dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/emode/w/nay.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A word for "no", or a word that corrects what has just been said ("rather").

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:nay:m1:1
# text = A word for "no", or a word that corrects what has just been said ("rather").
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	no	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	_
11	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
12	corrects	correct	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	acl:relcl	_	_
13	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	17	obj	_	_
14	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	_
15	just	just	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
16	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	17	aux:pass	_	_
17	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	ccomp	_	_
18	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	20	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	20	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	rather	rather	ADV	RB	ExtPos=CCONJ	10	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	20	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	20	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **correct** *speech: disagree* | present | a word |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | present · perfect · passive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: what=Topic |

<!-- .note -->
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.

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
And He said: 'Nay; but thou didst laugh.'

<!-- .note -->
From Torah GEN.18.15, JPS 1917.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:nay:x1:1
# text = And He said: 'Nay; but thou didst laugh.'
1	And	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
2	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	6	punct	_	_
5	'	'	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	Nay	nay	INTJ	UH	_	3	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	thou	thou	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Style=Arch	10	nsubj	_	_
10	didst	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Style=Arch|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
11	laugh	laugh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	'	'	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **do** | past | thou | laugh |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent laugh=Eventuality |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
“Nay,” purred Bagheera, “that may not be.

<!-- .note -->
From The Jungle Book.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:nay:x2:1
# text = “Nay,” purred Bagheera, “that may not be.
1	“	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Nay	nay	INTJ	UH	_	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	”	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
5	purred	purr	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	Bagheera	Bagheera	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	“	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	12	nsubj	_	_
10	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	be	be	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **purr** | participle |  | Bagheera |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bagheera=Topic |
| 2 | **not** **be** *in a quote* | may | that |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
And they said unto him: 'Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

<!-- .note -->
From Torah GEN.42.10, JPS 1917.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:nay:x3:1
# text = And they said unto him: 'Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
1	And	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
2	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	unto	unto	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
7	'	'	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	Nay	nay	INTJ	UH	_	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	lord	lord	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
13	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	buy	buy	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
16	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
17	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	20	cop	_	_
18	thy	thy	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs|Style=Arch	19	nmod:poss	_	_
19	servants	servant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	nsubj	_	_
20	come	come	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | they |  |  |  |  | unto him *= he* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent nay=Topic |
| 2 | **buy** | to-infinitive | they *not said here* | food |  |  |  |  | vn accept-77.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Theme |
| 3 | **is** | present | thy servants |  |  |  |  | come *property* | tree rules |

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**Text:** the Early Modern English dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova; its examples quote public-domain texts. **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 meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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