---
title: avow — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «avow» in the school dictionary: To say something openly and firmly, to declare it. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# avow

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** knight, She, He, two families, They, their · **What happens:** say, declare, admit, confess, avow, not see · **To what, where:** something, it, loyalty, stolen ring, avowed fan, avowed enemies · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To say something openly and firmly, to declare it.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:m1:1
# text = To say something openly and firmly, to declare it.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	say	say	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
4	openly	openly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	firmly	firmly	ADV	RB	_	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	declare	declare	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  | openly *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent something=Topic |
| 2 | **declare** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  | it |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Attribute |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To admit or confess something openly.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:m2:1
# text = To admit or confess something openly.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	admit	admit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	confess	confess	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
5	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	4	obj	_	_
6	openly	openly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **admit** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn confess-37.10 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **confess** | infinitive |  | something |  |  |  | openly *property* | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Topic |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The knight avowed his loyalty to the king.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:x1:1
# text = The knight avowed his loyalty to the king.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	knight	knight	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	avowed	avow	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	loyalty	loyalty	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avow** | past | the knight | knight's loyalty |  |  |  | to the king | vn declare-29.4 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent loyalty=Attribute |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She avowed that she had never seen the stolen ring.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:x2:1
# text = She avowed that she had never seen the stolen ring.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	avowed	avow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
5	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
6	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	seen	see	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	stolen	steal	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	ring	ring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avow** | past | She |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **see** | past · perfect | she | the stolen ring |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer ring=Stimulus |
| 3 | **steal** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was an avowed fan of the team.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:x3:1
# text = He was an avowed fan of the team.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	avowed	avow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	fan	fan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	team	team	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avow** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | past | He | a avowed fan |  |  |  | of the team | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The two families were avowed enemies.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:x4:1
# text = The two families were avowed enemies.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	nummod	_	_
3	families	family	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	avowed	avow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	amod	_	_
6	enemies	enemy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avow** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | past | the two families | avowed enemies |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They avowed their love in front of everyone.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:x5:1
# text = They avowed their love in front of everyone.
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	avowed	avow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	love	love	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	front	front	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avow** | past | They | their love |  | front of everyone |  |  | vn declare-29.4 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent love=Attribute |
| 2 | **love** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom love «feeling transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The avowed aim of the club is to help animals.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:x6:1
# text = The avowed aim of the club is to help animals.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	avowed	avow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	aim	aim	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	club	club	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
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	help	help	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
10	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avow** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | the avowed aim of the club |  |  |  |  | help *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **aim** |  | the club |  |  |  |  |  | nom aim «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He avowed his mistake and apologised.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:avow:x7:1
# text = He avowed his mistake and apologised.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	avowed	avow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	apologised	apologise	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **avow** | past | He | his mistake |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent mistake=Attribute |
| 2 | **apologise** *speech: apologize* | past | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **mistake** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom mistake «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

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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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