---
title: causation — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «causation» in the school dictionary: The process of one thing making another thing happen; cause and effect. 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/C/causation/)

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

# causation

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** one thing, thing, link, Scientists, cream sales, that · **What happens:** make, happen, process, show, cause, do · **To what, where:** one thing, one event, tests, causation, both, wars · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«causation» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 5 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: [causation in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/causation.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The process of one thing making another thing happen; cause and effect.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:causation:m1:1
# text = The process of one thing making another thing happen; cause and effect.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	process	process	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	making	make	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
7	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	happen	happen	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
11	cause	cause	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	effect	effect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | gerund | one thing *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **happen** | infinitive | another thing |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **process** |  |  | one thing |  |  |  |  | nom process «act transitive»: of=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}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The link showing that one event was really caused by another.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:causation:m2:1
# text = The link showing that one event was really caused by another.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	link	link	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	showing	show	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
5	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
8	really	really	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	caused	cause	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	ccomp	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | gerund | the link *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **cause** | past · passive |  | one event |  |  |  | by another | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Scientists did tests to prove causation.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:causation:x1:1
# text = Scientists did tests to prove causation.
1	Scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	tests	test	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	prove	prove	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
6	causation	causation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | past | Scientists | tests |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent test=Eventuality |
| 2 | **prove** | to-infinitive | Scientists *not said here* | causation |  |  |  |  | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent causation=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ice cream sales and sunburn rise together, but that is not causation; the sun causes both.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:causation:x2:1
# text = Ice cream sales and sunburn rise together, but that is not causation; the sun causes both.
1	Ice	ice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	cream	cream	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	sales	sale	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	sunburn	sunburn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
6	rise	rise	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	together	together	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
9	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	13	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	causation	causation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	sun	sun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
17	causes	cause	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	parataxis	_	_
18	both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	17	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rise** | present | cream sales and sunburn |  |  |  |  | together *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **is a** | present | that | causation |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **cause** | present | the sun | both |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition both=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Historians study the causation of wars.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:causation:x3:1
# text = Historians study the causation of wars.
1	Historians	historian	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	study	study	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	causation	causation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	wars	war	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **study** | present | Historians | the causation of wars |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent causation=Topic |
| 2 | **cause** |  |  | wars |  |  |  |  | nom causation «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Correlation does not mean causation.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:causation:x4:1
# text = Correlation does not mean causation.
1	Correlation	correlation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	causation	causation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **mean** | present · do-support | Correlation | causation |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent causation=Topic |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We looked at causation in our science experiment.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:causation:x5:1
# text = We looked at causation in our science experiment.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	looked	look	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	causation	causation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	science	science	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	experiment	experiment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look** | past | We |  |  |  |  | in our science experiment; at causation | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at causation=Theme |
| 2 | **experiment** |  | our |  |  |  |  |  | nom experiment «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

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