---
title: suffice — Early Modern English dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «suffice» in the Early Modern English dictionary: To be enough for a purpose. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# suffice

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** he, words, blows, This, plague, his · **What happens:** be, offer, mean, not suffice, follow, not pertain · **To what, where:** one, suffice, law, plague

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«suffice» 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: [suffice in the Early Modern English dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/emode/w/suffice.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To be enough for a purpose.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:suffice:m1:1
# text = To be enough for a purpose.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	3	mark	_	_
2	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	cop	_	_
3	enough	enough	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | for a purpose; enough *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as his means suffice for;

<!-- .note -->
From Torah LEV.14.30, JPS 1917.

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:suffice:x1:1
# text = And he shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as his means suffice for;
1	And	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
3	shall	shall	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	offer	offer	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	4	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
8	turtle	turtle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	doves	dove	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
12	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	21	cc	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	young	young	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	pigeons	pigeon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	21	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
18	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=SCONJ	21	mark	_	_
19	as	as	ADP	IN	_	18	fixed	_	_
20	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	21	nmod:poss	_	_
21	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
22	suffice	suffice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	obj	_	_
23	for	for	ADP	IN	_	22	fixed	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **offer** | shall | he | one of the turtle doves |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent one=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  | suffice |  |  |  | of the young pigeons | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent suffice=Topic |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
If words suffice not, blows must follow.

<!-- .note -->
From Three hundred Aesop’s fables / Translated by George Fyler Townsend.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:suffice:x2:1
# text = If words suffice not, blows must follow.
1	If	if	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	suffice	suffice	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
6	blows	blow	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
8	follow	follow	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **suffice** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | words |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **follow** | must | blows |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose means suffice not for that which pertaineth to his cleansing.

<!-- .note -->
From Torah LEV.14.32, JPS 1917.

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:suffice:x3:1
# text = This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose means suffice not for that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
1	This	this	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nmod	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	whom	whom	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	11	obl	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	plague	plague	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	leprosy	leprosy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
15	whose	whose	PRON	WP$	Poss=Yes|PronType=Rel	16	nsubj	_	_
16	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	parataxis	_	_
17	suffice	suffice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obj	_	_
18	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	22	advmod	_	_
19	for	for	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	22	obl	_	_
21	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	22	nsubj	_	_
22	pertaineth	pertain	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	advcl	_	_
23	to	to	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
24	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	25	nmod:poss	_	_
25	cleansing	cleansing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | This | the law and the plague |  |  |  | of him *= he* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | This *not said here* | the plague |  | the law and the plague |  | of leprosy | tree rules |
| 3 | **mean** | present | the plague | suffice |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent suffice=Topic |
| 4 | **not** **pertain** | present |  |  |  |  |  | for that; to his cleansing | vn relate-86.2-2 «NP V PP.co-theme»: agent=Theme to cleansing=Co-Theme |
| 5 | **cleanse** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom cleansing «act transitive»: poss=agent |

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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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