---
title: colonial — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «colonial» in the school dictionary: Colonial describes things to do with a colony, a land ruled by another, faraway country. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# colonial

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Colonial, country, Colonial animals, India, thirteen colonial states, Colonial houses · **What happens:** describe, do, rule, be, live, join · **To what, where:** things, land, colony, groups, British colonial rule, tall white columns

<!-- .vabout -->
«colonial» in the school dictionary: its 3 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: [colonial in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/colonial.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Colonial describes things to do with a colony, a land ruled by another, faraway country.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:m1:1
# text = Colonial describes things to do with a colony, a land ruled by another, faraway country.
1	Colonial	colonial	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	land	land	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	appos	_	_
12	ruled	rule	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	acl	_	_
13	by	by	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
16	faraway	faraway	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | present | Colonial | things |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP to be ADJ»: agent=Agent thing=Theme clause=Attribute |
| 2 | **do** | to-infinitive | Colonial *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with a colony and faraway country | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **rule** | participle |  | a land *not said here* |  |  |  | by another | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 -->
Colonial describes the time when a country was a colony, such as colonial America or colonial India, and its buildings and furniture style.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:m2:1
# text = Colonial describes the time when a country was a colony, such as colonial America or colonial India, and its buildings and furniture style.
1	Colonial	Colonial	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
8	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	15	case	_	_
13	as	as	ADP	IN	_	12	fixed	_	_
14	colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	America	America	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
16	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	18	cc	_	_
17	colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	India	India	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	22	punct	_	_
20	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
21	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	22	nmod:poss	_	_
22	buildings	building	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	parataxis	_	_
23	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	25	cc	_	_
24	furniture	furniture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	25	compound	_	_
25	style	style	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | present | Colonial |  |  |  | time |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | past | a country | a colony |  |  |  | such colonial America or colonial India | tree rules |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Colonial animals live joined together in groups, like corals.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:m3:1
# text = Colonial animals live joined together in groups, like corals.
1	Colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	live	live	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	joined	join	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	xcomp	_	_
5	together	together	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	groups	group	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	like	like	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	corals	coral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present | Colonial animals |  |  | groups |  | like corals; together *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **join** | participle | Colonial animals *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
India was under British colonial rule for many years.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:x1:1
# text = India was under British colonial rule for many years.
1	India	India	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	under	under	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	British	British	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | India |  |  | British colonial rule | year |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The thirteen colonial states became the USA.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:x2:1
# text = The thirteen colonial states became the USA.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	thirteen	thirteen	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	states	state	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	became	become	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	USA	USA	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **become** | past | the thirteen colonial states |  |  |  |  |  | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Colonial houses often have tall white columns.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:x3:1
# text = Colonial houses often have tall white columns.
1	Colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	houses	house	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	often	often	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	tall	tall	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	white	white	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	columns	column	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | Colonial houses | tall white columns |  |  |  | often *property* | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent column=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The museum shows life in colonial Australia.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:x4:1
# text = The museum shows life in colonial Australia.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	museum	museum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	shows	show	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | the museum | life |  |  |  | in colonial Australia | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP PP.recipient PP.theme»: agent=Agent life=Patient in australia=Topic |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Colonial powers drew borders across Africa.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:x5:1
# text = Colonial powers drew borders across Africa.
1	Colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	powers	power	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	drew	draw	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	borders	border	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	across	across	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Africa	Africa	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **draw** | past | Colonial powers | borders |  | Africa |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent border=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Corals are colonial animals.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colonial:x6:1
# text = Corals are colonial animals.
1	Corals	coral	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	colonial	colonial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Corals | colonial animals |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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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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