---
title: convulsion — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «convulsion» in the school dictionary: A convulsion is a sudden, violent shaking of the body that you cannot control. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# convulsion

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** convulsion, you, Convulsions, fits, doctor, boy · **What happens:** be, not control, mean, laugh, not stop, convulse · **To what, where:** sudden violent shaking, fits, laughter, snake, violent convulsions, convulsions · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«convulsion» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 3 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: [convulsion in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/convulsion.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A convulsion is a sudden, violent shaking of the body that you cannot control.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:convulsion:m1:1
# text = A convulsion is a sudden, violent shaking of the body that you cannot control.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	convulsion	convulsion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
5	sudden	sudden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
7	violent	violent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	shaking	shaking	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
12	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	16	obj	_	_
13	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	_
14	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	16	advmod	_	_
16	control	control	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a convulsion | a sudden violent shaking |  |  |  | of the body | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **control** | can | you | a sudden violent shaking |  |  |  |  | vn enforce-63 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent that=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}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Convulsions of laughter» means fits of laughing that you cannot stop.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:convulsion:m2:1
# text = «Convulsions of laughter» means fits of laughing that you cannot stop.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Convulsions	convulsion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	laughter	laughter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	fits	fit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
8	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	laughing	laugh	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
10	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
11	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
12	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
14	stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Convulsions of laughter | fits |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fit=Topic |
| 2 | **laugh** | gerund | fits *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **not** **stop** | can | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 4 | **convulse** *in a quote* |  |  | laughter |  |  |  |  | nom convulsion «state transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The snake trembled in violent convulsions.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:convulsion:x1:1
# text = The snake trembled in violent convulsions.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	snake	snake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	trembled	tremble	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	violent	violent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	convulsions	convulsion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tremble** | participle |  | the snake *not said here* |  | violent convulsions |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in convulsion=Location |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The doctor said the boy had convulsions.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:convulsion:x2:1
# text = The doctor said the boy had convulsions.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	doctor	doctor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
7	convulsions	convulsion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the doctor |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **have** | past | the boy | convulsions |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent convulsion=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The clown threw the whole hall into convulsions of laughter.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:convulsion:x3:1
# text = The clown threw the whole hall into convulsions of laughter.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	clown	clown	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	threw	throw	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	hall	hall	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	into	into	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	convulsions	convulsion	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	laughter	laughter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **throw** | past | the clown | the whole hall |  |  |  | into convulsions of laughter *result* | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.result»: agent=Causer hall=Theme into convulsion=Result |
| 2 | **convulse** |  |  | laughter |  |  |  |  | nom convulsion «state transitive»: of=patient |

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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.

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