---
title: archerfish — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «archerfish» in the school dictionary: An archerfish is a small fish of warm rivers and mangroves in Asia and northern Australia that shoots a jet of water from its mouth to knock insects off leaves above the water. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# archerfish

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** archerfish, that, It, insect, Young archerfish · **What happens:** be, shoot, knock, swim, eat, fall · **To what, where:** small fish, jet, mouth, insects, water, insect

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An archerfish is a small fish of warm rivers and mangroves in Asia and northern Australia that shoots a jet of water from its mouth to knock insects off leaves above the water.

<!-- fold The tree, 33 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:m1:1
# text = An archerfish is a small fish of warm rivers and mangroves in Asia and northern Australia that shoots a jet of water from its mouth to knock insects off leaves above the water.
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	fish	fish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	rivers	river	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	mangroves	mangrove	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	conj	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	Asia	Asia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	northern	northern	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	conj	_	_
17	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	18	nsubj	_	_
18	shoots	shoot	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	parataxis	_	_
19	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	jet	jet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	_
21	of	of	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
22	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nmod	_	_
23	from	from	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
24	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	25	nmod:poss	_	_
25	mouth	mouth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
26	to	to	PART	TO	_	27	mark	_	_
27	knock	knock	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	18	advcl	_	_
28	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	27	obj	_	_
29	off	off	ADP	IN	_	30	case	_	_
30	leaves	leaf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	27	obl	_	_
31	above	above	ADP	IN	_	33	case	_	_
32	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	33	det	_	_
33	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	27	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
34	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a archerfish | a small fish |  |  |  | of warm rivers in Asia and northern Australia and mangroves | tree rules |
| 2 | **shoot** | present | that | a jet of water |  | archerfish's mouth |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location»: agent=Agent jet=Theme from mouth=Initial\_Location |
| 3 | **knock** | to-infinitive | that *not said here* | insects |  | the water |  | off leaves | vn split-23.2 «NP V NP PP.co-patient»: agent=Agent insect=Patient off leaf=Co-Patient |

<!-- .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 -->
It then swims to eat the insect when it falls.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:m2:1
# text = It then swims to eat the insect when it falls.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	advmod	_	_
3	swims	swim	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	eat	eat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	insect	insect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	10	mark	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	falls	fall	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swim** | present | It |  |  |  | then |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **eat** | to-infinitive |  | the insect |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent insect=Patient |
| 3 | **fall** | present | insect |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The archerfish spat a jet of water and knocked a beetle into the river.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:x1:1
# text = The archerfish spat a jet of water and knocked a beetle into the river.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	spat	spat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	jet	jet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	knocked	knock	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	beetle	beetle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	into	into	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spat** | present | the archerfish | a jet of water |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **knock** | past | the archerfish *not said here* | a beetle |  | the river |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destinations»: agent=Agent beetle=Theme into river=Destination |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An archerfish can hit insects more than a metre away.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:x2:1
# text = An archerfish can hit insects more than a metre away.
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	hit	hit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	insects	insect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
6	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	4	obj	_	_
7	than	than	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	metre	metre	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	away	away	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hit** | can | a archerfish | insects |  |  |  | away *property* | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP ADJP»: agent=Agent insect=Patient more=Result |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Archerfish live in mangrove swamps in Australia.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:x3:1
# text = Archerfish live in mangrove swamps in Australia.
1	Archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	live	live	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	mangrove	mangrove	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	swamps	swamp	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present | Archerfish |  |  | mangrove swamps in Australia |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in swamp=Location |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The archerfish corrects its aim for the bending of light.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:x4:1
# text = The archerfish corrects its aim for the bending of light.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	corrects	correct	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	aim	aim	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	bending	bending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **correct** *speech: disagree* | present | the archerfish | archerfish's aim |  |  |  | for the bending of light | vn remedy-45.7 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent aim=Patient |
| 2 | **aim** |  | archerfish |  |  |  |  |  | nom aim «cognition intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Young archerfish learn by watching older ones.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:x5:1
# text = Young archerfish learn by watching older ones.
1	Young	young	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	learn	learn	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	watching	watch	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
6	older	old	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	7	amod	_	_
7	ones	one	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **learn** | present | Young archerfish |  |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **watch** | gerund | Young archerfish *not said here* | older ones |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent one=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
At the aquarium, the archerfish shot water at a target.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:x6:1
# text = At the aquarium, the archerfish shot water at a target.
1	At	at	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	aquarium	aquarium	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	shot	shoot	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	target	target	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shoot** | past | the archerfish | water |  | the aquarium |  | at a target | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destinations»: agent=Agent water=Theme at aquarium=Destination |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The archerfish has stripes on its silvery sides.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:archerfish:x7:1
# text = The archerfish has stripes on its silvery sides.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	archerfish	archerfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	stripes	stripe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	silvery	silvery	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	sides	side	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | the archerfish | stripes |  | archerfish's silvery sides |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent stripe=Patient |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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