---
title: ail — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «ail» in the school dictionary: To ail is to be the matter with someone, to be wrong with them; «What ails you?» asks what is wrong. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# ail

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** ail, matter, innkeeper, concern, Something, water · **What happens:** be, ail, ask, make, taste · **To what, where:** matter, you, trouble, someone, him, concern · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To ail is to be the matter with someone, to be wrong with them; «What ails you?» asks what is wrong.

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:ail:m1:1
# text = To ail is to be the matter with someone, to be wrong with them; «What ails you?» asks what is wrong.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
2	ail	ail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	matter	matter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	23	nsubj	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
12	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	cop	_	_
13	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	acl:relcl	_	_
14	with	with	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
17	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	19	nsubj	_	_
19	ails	ail	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	parataxis	_	_
20	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	19	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	19	punct	_	_
23	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
24	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	26	nsubj	_	_
25	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	26	cop	_	_
26	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	23	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	23	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | ail | the matter |  |  |  | with someone | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | to-infinitive | ail *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with them *= they*; wrong *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **ail** *in a quote* | present | the matter | you |  |  |  |  | vn pain-40.8.1 «NP V NP.experiencer»: agent=Patient you=Experiencer |
| 4 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | the matter |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | wrong *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.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To ail is to trouble or make someone unwell.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:ail:m2:1
# text = To ail is to trouble or make someone unwell.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	ail	ail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	trouble	trouble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
8	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	obj	_	_
9	unwell	unwell	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | ail | trouble |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **make** | infinitive | ail *not said here* | someone |  |  |  | unwell *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset someone=Product |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What ails you, little dog?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:ail:x1:1
# text = What ails you, little dog?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	2	nsubj	_	_
2	ails	ail	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ail** | present |  | you |  |  |  | little dog *obl* | vn pain-40.8.1 «NP V NP.experiencer»: agent=Patient you=Experiencer |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The innkeeper asked him in some concern what ailed him.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:ail:x2:1
# text = The innkeeper asked him in some concern what ailed him.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	innkeeper	innkeeper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	asked	ask	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	iobj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	7	det	_	_
7	concern	concern	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	9	nsubj	_	_
9	ailed	ail	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | the innkeeper |  | him *= he* | some concern |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent he=Recipient |
| 2 | **ail** | past | some concern | innkeeper |  |  |  |  | vn pain-40.8.1 «NP V NP.experiencer»: agent=Patient he=Experiencer |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Something ails the old well, and the water tastes bad.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:ail:x3:1
# text = Something ails the old well, and the water tastes bad.
1	Something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	nsubj	_	_
2	ails	ail	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
5	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	tastes	taste	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
11	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ail** | present | Something |  |  |  |  | old *property* | vn pain-40.8.1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **taste** | present | the water |  |  |  |  | bad *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |

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**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.

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