---
title: cant — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «cant» in the school dictionary: Often a misspelling of "can't" (cannot) when the apostrophe is left out, as in texts and fast typing. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# cant

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** you, I, speech, cant, table · **What happens:** leave out, talk, use, cant, come, not find · **To what, where:** misspelling, Special words, party, shoes, secret language, slight cant

<!-- .vabout -->
«cant» in the school dictionary: its 4 meanings for a pupil and its 6 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: [cant in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/cant.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Often a misspelling of "can't" (cannot) when the apostrophe is left out, as in texts and fast typing.

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:m1:1
# text = Often a misspelling of "can't" (cannot) when the apostrophe is left out, as in texts and fast typing.
1	Often	often	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	misspelling	misspelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
9	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	10	punct	_	_
13	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	17	mark	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	apostrophe	apostrophe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj:pass	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	aux:pass	_	_
17	left	leave	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
18	out	out	ADP	RP	_	17	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	22	punct	_	_
20	as	as	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
21	in	in	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
22	texts	text	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	obl	_	_
23	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	25	cc	_	_
24	fast	fast	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	25	amod	_	_
25	typing	typing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	17	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leave out** | can · passive |  | a misspelling |  |  |  | as texts and fast typing; often *property* | vn neglect-75.1 «NP V NP»: subject=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: formal — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Insincere talk about morals or religion; hypocritical words.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:m2:1
# text = Insincere talk about morals or religion; hypocritical words.
1	Insincere	insincere	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	talk	talk	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	about	about	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	morals	moral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	religion	religion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	hypocritical	hypocritical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **talk** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | about morals or religion and hypocritical words; insincere *property* | vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about moral=Topic |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Special words used by a group, such as thieves; jargon.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:m3:1
# text = Special words used by a group, such as thieves; jargon.
1	Special	special	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	10	case	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	8	fixed	_	_
10	thieves	thief	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
12	jargon	jargon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | participle |  | Special words *not said here* |  |  |  | by a group | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: verb or noun — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A slope or tilt.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:m4:1
# text = A slope or tilt.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	slope	slope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	tilt	tilt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

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

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
(text) Sorry, I cant come to the party.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:x1:1
# text = (text) Sorry, I cant come to the party.
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	text	text	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
4	Sorry	sorry	INTJ	UH	_	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
6	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	cant	cant	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	come	come	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	party	party	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cant** | present | I |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **come** | infinitive | I *not said here* |  |  | the party |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to party=Initial\_Location |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
(correct) I can't find my shoes.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:x2:1
# text = (correct) I can't find my shoes.
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
4	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
5	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
8	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	shoes	shoe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **find** | can | I | my shoes |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent shoe=Topic |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The speech was full of empty cant.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:x3:1
# text = The speech was full of empty cant.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
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	_	7	case	_	_
6	empty	empty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	cant	cant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the speech |  |  |  |  | of empty cant; full *property* | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Thieves' cant was a secret language.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:x4:1
# text = Thieves' cant was a secret language.
1	Thieves	thief	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	'	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	cant	cant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	secret	secret	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Thieves's cant | a secret language |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The table has a slight cant to one side.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:x5:1
# text = The table has a slight cant to one side.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	table	table	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	slight	slight	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	cant	cant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	9	nummod	_	_
9	side	side	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | the table | a slight cant |  |  |  | to one side | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cant=Patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
(text) cant wait 4 the holidays!

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cant:x6:1
# text = (text) cant wait 4 the holidays!
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	text	text	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
4	cant	cant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	wait	wait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	4	4	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	5	flat	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	holidays	holiday	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- 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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