---
title: comb — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «comb» in the school dictionary: A comb is a flat strip with a row of thin teeth used to tidy your hair. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# comb

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** comb, flat strip, honeycomb, bees, you, I · **What happens:** be, use, tidy, comb, make, lose · **To what, where:** flat strip, hair, place, red crest, head, wax cells

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A comb is a flat strip with a row of thin teeth used to tidy your hair.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:m1:1
# text = A comb is a flat strip with a row of thin teeth used to tidy your hair.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	flat	flat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	strip	strip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	row	row	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	teeth	tooth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	_
13	used	use	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	tidy	tidy	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	xcomp	_	_
16	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a comb | a flat strip |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **use** | past | a flat strip *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with a row of thin teeth | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **tidy** | to-infinitive | a flat strip *not said here* | your hair |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
To comb your hair is to make it neat with a comb.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:m2:1
# text = To comb your hair is to make it neat with a comb.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	comb	comb	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	advcl	_	_
3	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	neat	neat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	xcomp	_	_
10	with	with	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **comb** | to-infinitive |  | your hair |  |  |  |  | vn braid-41.2.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent hair=Patient |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | make, neat *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To comb a place is to search it very carefully.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:m3:1
# text = To comb a place is to search it very carefully.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	comb	comb	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	advcl	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	search	search	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	very	very	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **comb** | to-infinitive |  | a place |  |  |  |  | vn braid-41.2.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent place=Patient |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | carefully, search *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A comb is the red crest on a rooster's head; a honeycomb is the wax cells bees make.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:m4:1
# text = A comb is the red crest on a rooster's head; a honeycomb is the wax cells bees make.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	crest	crest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	rooster	rooster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	's	PART	POS	_	9	case	_	_
11	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	18	punct	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	honeycomb	honeycomb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj	_	_
15	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
17	wax	wax	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	compound	_	_
18	cells	cell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	parataxis	_	_
19	bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	nsubj	_	_
20	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a comb | the red crest |  | a rooster's head |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | a honeycomb | the wax cells |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **make** | present | bees | the wax cells *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cell=Product |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Comb your hair before school.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x1:1
# text = Comb your hair before school.
1	Comb	comb	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	before	before	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **comb** | imperative | you *not said here* | your hair |  |  | before school |  | vn braid-41.2.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent hair=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I lost my comb.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x2:1
# text = I lost my comb.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | past | I | my comb |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent comb=Eventuality |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mum used a nit comb to check for lice.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x3:1
# text = Mum used a nit comb to check for lice.
1	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	used	use	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	nit	nit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	check	check	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	lice	louse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | past | Mum | a nit comb |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent comb=Patient |
| 2 | **check** | to-infinitive | Mum *not said here* |  |  |  |  | for lice | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent for louse=Attribute |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The police combed the park for clues.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x4:1
# text = The police combed the park for clues.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	police	police	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	combed	comb	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	park	park	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	clues	clue	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **comb** | past | the police | the park |  |  |  | for clues | vn search-35.2 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent park=Location for clue=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We combed the beach for shells.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x5:1
# text = We combed the beach for shells.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	combed	comb	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	beach	beach	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	shells	shell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **comb** | past | We | the beach |  |  |  | for shells | vn search-35.2 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent beach=Location for shell=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A rooster has a red comb on its head.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x6:1
# text = A rooster has a red comb on its head.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	rooster	rooster	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	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	head	head	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 | a rooster | a red comb |  | rooster's head |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent comb=Patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Bees keep honey in a honeycomb.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x7:1
# text = Bees keep honey in a honeycomb.
1	Bees	bee	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	keep	keep	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	honey	honey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	honeycomb	honeycomb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | present | Bees | honey |  | a honeycomb |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent honey=Theme in honeycomb=Location |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He gave Wendy one of their combs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:comb:x8:1
# text = He gave Wendy one of their combs.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	gave	give	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	Wendy	Wendy	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	iobj	_	_
4	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	combs	comb	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | past | He | one of their combs | Wendy |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent wendy=Recipient one=Theme |

<!-- 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 -->
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