---
title: colony — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «colony» in the school dictionary: A group of animals or plants of one kind that live together: a colony of ants, a bat colony. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# colony

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** one kind, people, mould, colony, We, thirteen colonies · **What happens:** live together, rule, grow, have, see, become · **To what, where:** country, new place, dish, thousands, seal colony, rocks

<!-- .vabout -->
«colony» in the school dictionary: its 4 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: [colony in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/colony.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A group of animals or plants of one kind that live together: a colony of ants, a bat colony.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:m1:1
# text = A group of animals or plants of one kind that live together: a colony of ants, a bat colony.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	plants	plant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	conj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	9	nummod	_	_
9	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj	_	_
11	live	live	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
12	together	together	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	15	punct	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	ants	ant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
19	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
20	bat	bat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	compound	_	_
21	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live together** | present | one kind |  |  |  |  | together *property* | vn exist-47.1-1 «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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A country or area ruled by another, usually faraway, country: the thirteen American colonies.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:m2:1
# text = A country or area ruled by another, usually faraway, country: the thirteen American colonies.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	area	area	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
5	ruled	rule	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
6	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	usually	usually	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	faraway	faraway	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	17	punct	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
15	thirteen	thirteen	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
16	American	American	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	colonies	colony	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rule** | participle |  | a country or area and country *not said here* |  |  |  | by another | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A group of people living together in a new place, far from their home country.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:m3:1
# text = A group of people living together in a new place, far from their home country.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	living	live	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
6	together	together	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
12	far	far	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	16	advmod	_	_
13	from	from	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	16	nmod:poss	_	_
15	home	home	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live together** | gerund | people *not said here* |  |  | a new place and place's home country |  | together *property* | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in place=Location |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A group of bacteria or mould growing together on a dish.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:m4:1
# text = A group of bacteria or mould growing together on a dish.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	bacteria	bacterium	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	mould	mould	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
7	growing	grow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	acl	_	_
8	together	together	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
9	on	on	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	dish	dish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grow** | gerund | mould *not said here* |  |  | a dish |  | together *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on dish=Location |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A colony of ants can have thousands of workers.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:x1:1
# text = A colony of ants can have thousands of workers.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	ants	ant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	have	have	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	thousands	thousand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	workers	worker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | can | a colony of ants | thousands of workers |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thousand=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We saw a seal colony on the rocks.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:x2:1
# text = We saw a seal colony on the rocks.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	saw	see	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	seal	seal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	rocks	rock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | past | We | a seal colony |  | the rocks |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer colony=Stimulus |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The thirteen colonies became the United States.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:x3:1
# text = The thirteen colonies became the United States.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	thirteen	thirteen	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	colonies	colony	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	became	become	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	United	United	ADJ	NNP	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	States	State	PROPN	NNPS	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 | **become** | past | the thirteen colonies | the United States |  |  |  |  | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Patient state=Result |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Australia was once a British colony.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:x4:1
# text = Australia was once a British colony.
1	Australia	Australia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	6	advmod	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	British	British	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Australia | a British colony |  |  |  | once *property* | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A bacteria colony grew on the dish in the lab.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:x5:1
# text = A bacteria colony grew on the dish in the lab.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	bacteria	bacteria	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	grew	grow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	dish	dish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	lab	lab	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grow** | past | a bacteria colony |  |  | the dish |  | in the lab | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on dish=Location |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Penguins nest in huge colonies.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:x6:1
# text = Penguins nest in huge colonies.
1	Penguins	penguin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	nest	nest	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	huge	huge	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	colonies	colony	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **nest** | present | Penguins |  |  | huge colonies |  |  | vn berry-13.7 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Cat cunningly resolved to destroy this chance-made colony.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:colony:x7:1
# text = The Cat cunningly resolved to destroy this chance-made colony.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	cunningly	cunningly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	resolved	resolve	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	destroy	destroy	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	11	det	_	_
8	chance	chance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	amod	_	_
11	colony	colony	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **resolve** | past | the Cat |  |  |  |  | cunningly *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **destroy** | to-infinitive | the Cat *not said here* | this made colony |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent colony=Patient |
| 3 | **make** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

<!-- 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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