---
title: want — Early Modern English dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «want» in the Early Modern English dictionary: To lack or be short of something, so that one needs it. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# want

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** one, Joseph, we, you, Petrusha · **What happens:** lack, be, need, sustain, accord, want · **To what, where:** it, father, little ones, you, anything · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«want» 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: [want in the Early Modern English dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/emode/w/want.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To lack or be short of something, so that one needs it.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:want:m1:1
# text = To lack or be short of something, so that one needs it.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	lack	lack	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	cop	_	_
5	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	so	so	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	12	mark	_	_
10	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	fixed	_	_
11	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	12	nsubj	_	_
12	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lack** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | of something; short *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **need** | present | one | it |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot it=Theme |

<!-- .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 Joseph sustained his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to the want of their little ones.

<!-- .note -->
From Torah GEN.47.12, JPS 1917.

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:want:x1:1
# text = And Joseph sustained his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to the want of their little ones.
1	And	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
2	Joseph	Joseph	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sustained	sustain	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	father	father	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	brethren	brethren	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
12	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	14	det:predet	_	_
13	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	father	father	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	's	's	PART	POS	_	14	case	_	_
16	household	household	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
18	with	with	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	bread	bread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
21	according	accord	VERB	VBG	ExtPos=ADP|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	24	case	_	_
22	to	to	ADP	IN	_	21	fixed	_	_
23	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
24	want	want	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	parataxis	_	_
25	of	of	ADP	IN	_	28	case	_	_
26	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	28	nmod:poss	_	_
27	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	28	amod	_	_
28	ones	one	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	24	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sustain** | past | Joseph | Joseph's father |  |  |  | with bread; Joseph's brethren *obl* | vn sustain-55.6 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent father=Theme |
| 2 | **accord** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **want** |  |  | their little ones |  |  |  |  | nom want «state transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
“But we want you to dance.”

<!-- .note -->
From Peter Pan.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:want:x2:1
# text = “But we want you to dance.”
1	“	"	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	But	but	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
3	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	want	want	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	dance	dance	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	”	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** *in a quote* | present | we | you |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **dance** *not said to happen, in a quote* | to-infinitive | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"I don't want anything," replied Petrusha.

<!-- .note -->
From Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-lore.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:emode:want:x3:1
# text = "I don't want anything," replied Petrusha.
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
3	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	want	want	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	ccomp	_	_
6	anything	anything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
9	replied	reply	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	Petrusha	Petrusha	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **want** *in a quote* | present · do-support | Petrusha | anything |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot anything=Theme |
| 2 | **reply** *speech: assert* | past | Petrusha |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V S-Quote»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |

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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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