---
title: barnacle — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «barnacle» in the school dictionary: A small sea animal with a hard shell that sticks itself to rocks, ships and whales and stays there. 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/B/barnacle/)

<!-- 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/) / [B](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/) / barnacle

# barnacle

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** that, person, barnacle, Barnacles, careful barnacles, old whale · **What happens:** stick, stay, not go away, be, cover, slow down · **To what, where:** shell, humorous old word, rocks, Barnacles, food, bare feet · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«barnacle» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 8 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: [barnacle in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/barnacle.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A small sea animal with a hard shell that sticks itself to rocks, ships and whales and stays there.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:m1:1
# text = A small sea animal with a hard shell that sticks itself to rocks, ships and whales and stays there.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	shell	shell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
9	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
10	sticks	stick	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
11	itself	itself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	10	obj	_	_
12	to	to	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	rocks	rock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
15	ships	ship	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	conj	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
17	whales	whale	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	conj	_	_
18	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
19	stays	stay	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	conj	_	_
20	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	19	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stick** | present | that | shell |  |  |  | to rocks and ships and whales | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent itself=Patient to rock=Co-Patient |
| 2 | **stay** | present | that *not said here* |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A person who sticks to someone and will not go away.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:m2:1
# text = A person who sticks to someone and will not go away.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	sticks	stick	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	4	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
11	away	away	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stick** | present | a person |  |  |  |  | to someone | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent to someone=Co-Patient |
| 2 | **not** **go away** | future | a person *not said here* |  |  |  |  | away *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A barnacle can also be a humorous old word for a pair of trousers or pantaloons.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:m3:1
# text = A barnacle can also be a humorous old word for a pair of trousers or pantaloons.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	barnacle	barnacle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
4	also	also	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	humorous	humorous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	trousers	trousers	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	_
15	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
16	pantaloons	pantaloon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | can | a barnacle | a humorous old word |  |  |  | for a pair of trousers or pantaloons | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The rocks at the beach were covered in barnacles.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x1:1
# text = The rocks at the beach were covered in barnacles.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	rocks	rock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	beach	beach	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	covered	cover	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	barnacles	barnacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cover** | past · passive |  | the rocks at the beach |  |  |  | in barnacles | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: subject=Destination in barnacle=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Barnacles stick to the bottom of boats and slow them down.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x2:1
# text = Barnacles stick to the bottom of boats and slow them down.
1	Barnacles	barnacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	stick	stick	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	bottom	bottom	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	boats	boat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	slow	slow	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	down	down	ADP	RP	_	9	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stick** | present | Barnacles |  |  |  |  | to the bottom of boats | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent to bottom=Co-Patient |
| 2 | **slow down** | present | Barnacles *not said here* | Barnacles *= barnacle* |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent they=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A barnacle catches food with its feathery legs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x3:1
# text = A barnacle catches food with its feathery legs.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	barnacle	barnacle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	catches	catch	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	with	with	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	feathery	feathery	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	legs	leg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **catch** | present | a barnacle | food |  |  |  | with barnacle's feathery legs | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Be careful, barnacles are sharp on bare feet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x4:1
# text = Be careful, barnacles are sharp on bare feet.
1	Be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	cop	_	_
2	careful	careful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	barnacles	barnacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	sharp	sharp	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	bare	bare	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	feet	foot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | careful *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | careful barnacles |  |  | bare feet |  | sharp *property* | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The old whale had barnacles on its skin.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x5:1
# text = The old whale had barnacles on its skin.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	whale	whale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	barnacles	barnacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	skin	skin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | the old whale | barnacles |  | whale's skin |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent barnacle=Patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Barnacles are related to crabs and lobsters, not to snails.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x6:1
# text = Barnacles are related to crabs and lobsters, not to snails.
1	Barnacles	barnacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	related	related	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	crabs	crab	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	lobsters	lobster	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
10	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	snails	snail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Barnacles |  |  |  |  | to crabs and lobsters and snails; related *property* | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
My little brother clung to me like a barnacle all day.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x7:1
# text = My little brother clung to me like a barnacle all day.
1	My	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	clung	cling	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	4	obl	_	_
7	like	like	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	barnacle	barnacle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
10	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	11	det	_	_
11	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cling** | participle |  | My little brother *not said here* | me |  |  | like a barnacle  all day | vn cling-22.5 «NP V PP.co-theme»: agent=Theme to i=Co-Theme |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
“No, that's my 'barnacle.' And what do you call these?” said he pointing to his pantaloons.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* “No, that's my 'barnacle.'

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x8:1
# text = “No, that's my 'barnacle.'
1	“	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	8	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	'	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	barnacle	barnacle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	'	'	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | that | my barnacle |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* And what do you call these?” said he pointing to his pantaloons.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:barnacle:x8:2
# text = And what do you call these?” said he pointing to his pantaloons.
1	And	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
2	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	5	obj	_	_
3	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
5	call	call	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	parataxis	_	_
6	these	this	PRON	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	”	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
9	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	pointing	point	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	ccomp	_	_
12	to	to	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	pantaloons	pantaloon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** *speech: assert* | present · do-support | you | these |  |  |  |  | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP NP»: agent=Agent what=Theme this=Result |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | past |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **point** *in a quote* | gerund | he |  | his pantaloons |  |  |  | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V PP.recipient»: agent=Agent to pantaloon=Recipient |

<!-- 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: [barn](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barn/)
- next →: [barnyard](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barnyard/)
- ↑ back to [B in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/)