---
title: constitutional — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «constitutional» in the school dictionary: To do with a country's constitution, the main set of laws that says how the country is governed and what rights people have. 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/constitutional/)

<!-- 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/) / constitutional

# constitutional

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** laws, people, country, law, one, UK · **What happens:** do, say, govern, have, constitute, allow · **To what, where:** country, rights, rules, walk, constitutional monarchy, laws · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To do with a country's constitution, the main set of laws that says how the country is governed and what rights people have.

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:m1:1
# text = To do with a country's constitution, the main set of laws that says how the country is governed and what rights people have.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	do	do	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	constitution	constitution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	main	main	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	set	set	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	laws	law	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nmod	_	_
14	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	15	nsubj	_	_
15	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	acl:relcl	_	_
16	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	20	advmod	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	country	country	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nsubj:pass	_	_
19	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	20	aux:pass	_	_
20	governed	govern	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	15	ccomp	_	_
21	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
22	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	20	obl:agent	_	_
23	rights	right	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	22	nsubj	_	_
24	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	25	nsubj	_	_
25	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	23	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | with a country's constitution | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | laws |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **govern** | present · passive |  | the country |  |  |  |  | vn supervision-95.2.2 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 4 | **have** | present | people | rights *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent right=Patient |
| 5 | **constitute** |  | a country |  |  |  |  |  | nom constitution «communication transitive»: poss=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 -->
Allowed by the constitution; a law that is «constitutional» follows those rules, and an «unconstitutional» one breaks them.

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:m2:1
# text = Allowed by the constitution; a law that is «constitutional» follows those rules, and an «unconstitutional» one breaks them.
1	Allowed	allow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
2	by	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	constitution	constitution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	13	punct	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
8	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
10	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
13	follows	follow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
14	those	that	DET	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	15	det	_	_
15	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	23	punct	_	_
17	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	23	cc	_	_
18	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
19	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	20	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	unconstitutional	unconstitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	23	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	20	punct	_	_
22	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	23	nsubj	_	_
23	breaks	break	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	conj	_	_
24	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	23	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **allow** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | by the constitution | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Causer |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | a law |  |  |  |  | constitutional *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **follow** | present | a law | that rules |  |  |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rule=Theme |
| 4 | **break** | present | one | rules *= rule* |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer they=Patient |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To do with a person's body or nature, as in a «constitutional weakness».

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:m3:1
# text = To do with a person's body or nature, as in a «constitutional weakness».
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	do	do	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	nature	nature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
11	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	16	mark	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
14	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	weakness	weakness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | with a person's body or nature | tree rules |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A walk taken for your health, as in «a morning constitutional».

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:m4:1
# text = A walk taken for your health, as in «a morning constitutional».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	walk	walk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	taken	take	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	health	health	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
8	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
10	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	morning	morning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl:unmarked	_	_
13	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | participle |  | a walk *not said here* |  |  |  | for your health | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent for health=Beneficiary |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The UK is a constitutional monarchy, so the king does not make the laws.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:x1:1
# text = The UK is a constitutional monarchy, so the king does not make the laws.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	UK	UK	PROPN	NNP	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	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	monarchy	monarchy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
11	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	parataxis	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	laws	law	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the UK | a constitutional monarchy |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **make** | present · do-support | the king | the laws |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent law=Product |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Free speech is a constitutional right in the United States.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:x2:1
# text = Free speech is a constitutional right in the United States.
1	Free	free	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	speech	speech	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	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	right	right	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	United	United	ADJ	NNP	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	States	State	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Free speech | a constitutional right |  | the United States |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The judges decided the new law was not constitutional.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:x3:1
# text = The judges decided the new law was not constitutional.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	judges	judge	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	decided	decide	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **decide** | past | the judges |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **is** | past | the new law |  |  |  |  | constitutional *property* | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Changing the constitution needs a constitutional amendment.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:x4:1
# text = Changing the constitution needs a constitutional amendment.
1	Changing	change	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	csubj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	constitution	constitution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	amendment	amendment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | gerund |  | the constitution |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent constitution=Patient |
| 2 | **need** | present | Changing | a constitutional amendment |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot amendment=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandpa takes his morning constitutional around the park.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:x5:1
# text = Grandpa takes his morning constitutional around the park.
1	Grandpa	grandpa	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	takes	take	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	morning	morning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
6	around	around	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	park	park	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 | **take** | present | Grandpa |  |  | the park | morning | constitutional *property* | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The class learned about constitutional government in Canada.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:x6:1
# text = The class learned about constitutional government in Canada.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	class	class	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	learned	learn	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	constitutional	constitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	government	government	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	Canada	Canada	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **learn** | past | the class |  |  | Canada |  | about constitutional government | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about government=Topic |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Some people say the vote was unconstitutional.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constitutional:x7:1
# text = Some people say the vote was unconstitutional.
1	Some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	2	det	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	say	say	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	vote	vote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	unconstitutional	unconstitutional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | some people |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | past | the vote |  |  |  |  | unconstitutional *property* | tree rules |

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