---
title: activate — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «activate» in the school dictionary: To activate something is to make it start working, like a machine, alarm or account. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/) / [school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/) / [A](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/) / activate

# activate

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** smoke, you, Warm water, someone, Sunlight, hero · **What happens:** activate, be, start, work, become, press · **To what, where:** something, process, fire alarm, red button, robot, new library card

<!-- .vabout -->
«activate» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 7 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: [activate in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/activate.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To activate something is to make it start working, like a machine, alarm or account.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:m1:1
# text = To activate something is to make it start working, like a machine, alarm or account.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	activate	activate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	csubj	_	_
3	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	start	start	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	working	work	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
11	like	like	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	machine	machine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
15	alarm	alarm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	conj	_	_
16	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
17	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **activate** | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent something=Patient |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | make *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **start** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 4 | **work** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | like a machine and alarm or account | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: science — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To activate a process or chemical is to make it start or become active.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:m2:1
# text = To activate a process or chemical is to make it start or become active.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	activate	activate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	advcl	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	process	process	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	chemical	chemical	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	start	start	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	xcomp	_	_
12	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	become	become	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	conj	_	_
14	active	active	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **activate** | to-infinitive |  | a process or chemical |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent process=Patient |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | make *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **start** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 4 | **become** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | active *property* | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The smoke activated the fire alarm.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:x1:1
# text = The smoke activated the fire alarm.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	activated	activate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	alarm	alarm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **activate** | past | the smoke | the fire alarm |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent alarm=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Press the red button to activate the robot.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:x2:1
# text = Press the red button to activate the robot.
1	Press	press	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	button	button	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	activate	activate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	robot	robot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **press** | imperative | you *not said here* | the red button |  |  |  |  | vn push-12-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent button=Theme |
| 2 | **activate** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | the robot |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent robot=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You need to activate your new library card.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:x3:1
# text = You need to activate your new library card.
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	activate	activate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
6	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	library	library	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	card	card	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | You |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **activate** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | You *not said here* | your new library card |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent card=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Warm water activates the yeast in bread.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:x4:1
# text = Warm water activates the yeast in bread.
1	Warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	activates	activate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	yeast	yeast	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	bread	bread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **activate** | present | Warm water | the yeast |  | bread |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent yeast=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The trap is activated when someone steps on it.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:x5:1
# text = The trap is activated when someone steps on it.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	trap	trap	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	activated	activate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
6	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	nsubj	_	_
7	steps	step	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	advcl	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **activate** | present · passive |  | the trap |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **step** | present | someone |  |  | trap |  |  | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on it=Trajectory |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sunlight activates the solar lamp.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:x6:1
# text = Sunlight activates the solar lamp.
1	Sunlight	sunlight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	activates	activate	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	solar	solar	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	lamp	lamp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **activate** | present | Sunlight | the solar lamp |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent lamp=Patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The hero activated the shield just in time.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:activate:x7:1
# text = The hero activated the shield just in time.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hero	hero	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	activated	activate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	shield	shield	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **activate** | past | the hero | the shield |  |  | time |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent shield=Patient |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **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.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [action](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/action/)
- next →: [activated](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activated/)
- ↑ back to [A in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/)