---
title: anecdote — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «anecdote» in the school dictionary: A short, interesting or funny story about a real event or person. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# anecdote

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** evidence, one person, Grandad, speaker, you, One anecdote · **What happens:** use, not be, experience, tell, begin, write · **To what, where:** experience, general, anecdote, us, time, real data · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A short, interesting or funny story about a real event or person.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:m1:1
# text = A short, interesting or funny story about a real event or person.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
2	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
4	interesting	interesting	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	_
7	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	about	about	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
12	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A story from one person's experience used as evidence, which may not be true in general.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:m2:1
# text = A story from one person's experience used as evidence, which may not be true in general.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	experience	experience	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
8	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
12	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	16	nsubj	_	_
13	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	_
14	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	16	advmod	_	_
15	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	cop	_	_
16	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	conj	_	_
17	in	in	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	general	general	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | participle |  | one person's experience *not said here* |  |  |  | as evidence | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **is** | may | evidence |  |  | general |  | true *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **experience** |  | one person |  |  |  |  |  | nom experience «cognition transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandad told us an anecdote about his first day at school.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:x1:1
# text = Grandad told us an anecdote about his first day at school.
1	Grandad	Grandad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	told	tell	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	iobj	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	anecdote	anecdote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	about	about	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
8	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	9	amod	_	_
9	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
10	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | Grandad | a anecdote | us |  | day |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent we=Recipient anecdote=Topic |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The speaker began with a funny anecdote about her dog.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:x2:1
# text = The speaker began with a funny anecdote about her dog.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	speaker	speaker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	began	begin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	anecdote	anecdote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	about	about	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **begin** | past | the speaker |  |  |  |  | with a funny anecdote about speaker's dog | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V PP.subeventuality»: agent=Eventuality with anecdote=Subeventuality |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Write an anecdote about a time you were surprised.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:x3:1
# text = Write an anecdote about a time you were surprised.
1	Write	write	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	anecdote	anecdote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
7	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
8	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	surprised	surprised	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | imperative | you *not said here* | a anecdote |  |  | time |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent anecdote=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | past | you | a time *not said here* |  |  |  | surprised *property* | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
One anecdote is not enough to prove that a medicine works.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:x4:1
# text = One anecdote is not enough to prove that a medicine works.
1	One	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	anecdote	anecdote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	enough	enough	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	prove	prove	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	advcl	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	works	work	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | present | One anecdote |  |  |  |  | enough *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **prove** | to-infinitive | One anecdote *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **work** | present | a medicine |  |  |  |  |  | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His speech was full of anecdotes about the team.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:x5:1
# text = His speech was full of anecdotes about the team.
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	anecdotes	anecdote	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
7	about	about	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	team	team	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | His speech |  |  |  |  | of anecdotes about the team; full *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **speak** |  | His *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom speech «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That's just anecdotal — we need real data.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:x6:1
# text = That's just anecdotal — we need real data.
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	just	just	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	anecdotal	anecdotal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	—	-	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
6	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
8	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	data	data	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | That |  |  |  |  | anecdotal *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **need** | present | we | real data |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot data=Theme |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
These are very few in number, and generally bear the character of anecdotes.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:anecdote:x7:1
# text = These are very few in number, and generally bear the character of anecdotes.
1	These	this	PRON	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	very	very	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	few	few	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	generally	generally	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	bear	bear	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	anecdotes	anecdote	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | These |  |  | number |  | few *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **bear** | present |  | the character of anecdotes |  |  |  | generally *property* | vn birth-28.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent character=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 -->

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