---
title: couplet — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «couplet» in the school dictionary: A couplet is a pair of lines of poetry that go together, usually rhyming and with the same rhythm. 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/couplet/)

<!-- 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/) / couplet

# couplet

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** couplet, lines, I, you, sonnet, Shakespeare · **What happens:** be, go together, rhyme, mean, wonder, write · **To what, where:** pair, couplet, rhyming couplet, poem, everyone, funny couplet · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A couplet is a pair of lines of poetry that go together, usually rhyming and with the same rhythm.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:m1:1
# text = A couplet is a pair of lines of poetry that go together, usually rhyming and with the same rhythm.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	lines	line	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	poetry	poetry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj	_	_
11	go	go	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
12	together	together	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
14	usually	usually	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	rhyming	rhyme	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	11	advcl	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
17	with	with	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
19	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	amod	_	_
20	rhythm	rhythm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a couplet | a pair |  |  |  | of lines of poetry | tree rules |
| 2 | **go together** | present | lines of poetry |  |  |  |  | together *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **rhyme** | gerund | lines of poetry *not said here* |  |  |  |  | usually *property* | vn amalgamate-22.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=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}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A couplet can mean a pair of anything.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:m2:1
# text = A couplet can mean a pair of anything.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	pair	pair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	anything	anything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | can | a couplet | a pair of anything |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pair=Topic |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Twinkle, twinkle, little star, / How I wonder what you are» is a couplet.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:x1:1
# text = «Twinkle, twinkle, little star, / How I wonder what you are» is a couplet.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Twinkle	twinkle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
4	twinkle	twinkle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	star	star	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	/	/	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
10	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	12	advmod	_	_
11	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
12	wonder	wonder	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	appos	_	_
13	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	19	obl	_	_
14	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
15	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
17	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
18	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wonder** *speech: ask* *in a quote* | present | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn care-88.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **is a** | present |  | a couplet |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Write a rhyming couplet about your pet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:x2:1
# text = Write a rhyming couplet about your pet.
1	Write	write	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	rhyming	rhyme	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	amod	_	_
4	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	about	about	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	pet	pet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | imperative | you *not said here* | a rhyming couplet |  |  |  | about your pet | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent couplet=Recipient about pet=Topic |
| 2 | **rhyme** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The poem is made of six couplets.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:x3:1
# text = The poem is made of six couplets.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	poem	poem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	six	six	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	7	nummod	_	_
7	couplets	couplet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present · passive |  | the poem |  |  |  | of six couplets | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A sonnet by Shakespeare ends with a couplet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:x4:1
# text = A sonnet by Shakespeare ends with a couplet.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	sonnet	sonnet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	by	by	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Shakespeare	Shakespeare	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	ends	end	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **end** | present | a sonnet by Shakespeare |  |  |  |  | with a couplet | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality PP.subeventuality»: agent=Affector with couplet=Subeventuality |
| 2 | **sonnet** |  | Shakespeare |  |  |  |  |  | nom sonnet «communication intransitive»: by=agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The last couplet made everyone laugh.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:x5:1
# text = The last couplet made everyone laugh.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	last	last	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	4	obj	_	_
6	laugh	laugh	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | past | the last couplet | everyone |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **laugh** | infinitive | everyone *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Can you find the couplet that does not rhyme?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:x6:1
# text = Can you find the couplet that does not rhyme?
1	Can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
2	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
7	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	rhyme	rhyme	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find** | can | you | the couplet |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent couplet=Topic |
| 2 | **not** **rhyme** | present · do-support | the couplet |  |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
My birthday card had a funny couplet inside.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:couplet:x7:1
# text = My birthday card had a funny couplet inside.
1	My	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	birthday	birthday	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	card	card	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	couplet	couplet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	inside	inside	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | My birthday card | a funny couplet |  |  |  | inside *property* | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent couplet=Patient |

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