---
title: constructive — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «constructive» in the school dictionary: Helpful and useful, aiming to improve something: constructive criticism. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# constructive

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Building, teacher, ending, exciting, Your, We · **What happens:** aim, improve, build up, break down, give, be · **To what, where:** something, constructive discussion, constructive feedback, stories, more detail, middle

<!-- .vabout -->
«constructive» in the school dictionary: its 2 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: [constructive in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/constructive.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Helpful and useful, aiming to improve something: constructive criticism.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:m1:1
# text = Helpful and useful, aiming to improve something: constructive criticism.
1	Helpful	helpful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	useful	useful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	aiming	aim	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	improve	improve	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	_
8	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
10	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	criticism	criticism	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **aim** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn wish-62 «NP V for NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **improve** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent something=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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Building up rather than breaking down: a constructive discussion.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:m2:1
# text = Building up rather than breaking down: a constructive discussion.
1	Building	build	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	csubj	_	_
2	up	up	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	_
3	rather	rather	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	than	than	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	breaking	break	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
6	down	down	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	10	punct	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	discussion	discussion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **build up** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **break down** | gerund | Building | a constructive discussion |  |  |  |  | vn break-45.1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Our teacher gives constructive feedback on our stories.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:x1:1
# text = Our teacher gives constructive feedback on our stories.
1	Our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	gives	give	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	feedback	feedback	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	stories	story	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present | Our teacher | constructive feedback |  | our stories |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient PP.asset»: agent=Agent feedback=Theme on story=Asset |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"Your ending is exciting; maybe add more detail in the middle" is constructive criticism.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:x2:1
# text = "Your ending is exciting; maybe add more detail in the middle" is constructive criticism.
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	exciting	exciting	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
7	maybe	maybe	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	add	add	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
9	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	10	amod	_	_
10	detail	detail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	middle	middle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
15	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
16	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	criticism	criticism	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	17	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *in a quote* | present | Your ending |  |  |  |  | exciting *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **add** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | infinitive |  | more detail |  | the middle |  | maybe *property* | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent detail=Patient |
| 3 | **is a** | present | exciting | constructive criticism |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **end** *in a quote* |  | Your |  |  |  |  |  | nom ending «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We had a constructive talk about the playground rules.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:x3:1
# text = We had a constructive talk about the playground rules.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	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	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	talk	talk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	about	about	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	playground	playground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | We | a constructive talk |  |  |  | about the playground rules | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent talk=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Try to be constructive, not just negative.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:x4:1
# text = Try to be constructive, not just negative.
1	Try	try	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
3	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	cop	_	_
4	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
7	just	just	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	negative	negative	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **try** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | constructive *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **not** **be** |  | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The meeting was constructive and we made a plan.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:x5:1
# text = The meeting was constructive and we made a plan.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	meeting	meeting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
6	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	plan	plan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the meeting |  |  |  |  | constructive *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **make** | past | we | a plan |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent plan=Product |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She made a constructive suggestion to save time.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:constructive:x6:1
# text = She made a constructive suggestion to save time.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	made	make	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	constructive	constructive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	suggestion	suggestion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	save	save	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
8	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | past | She | a constructive suggestion |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent suggestion=Product |
| 2 | **save** | to-infinitive | She *not said here* |  |  |  | time |  | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=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 -->

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