---
title: curl — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «curl» in the school dictionary: A curl is a piece of hair that grows or is shaped in a round twist. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# curl

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** curl, piece, She, hedgehog, He, Curling · **What happens:** be, grow, shape, curl, curl up, pull · **To what, where:** piece, round twist, round shape, arms, body, spiral shape

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A curl is a piece of hair that grows or is shaped in a round twist.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:m1:1
# text = A curl is a piece of hair that grows or is shaped in a round twist.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	curl	curl	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	piece	piece	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	grows	grow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	shaped	shape	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	conj	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	round	round	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	twist	twist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a curl | a piece |  |  |  | of hair | tree rules |
| 2 | **grow** | present | a piece |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **shape** | present · passive | a piece *not said here* |  |  | a round twist |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP» |

<!-- .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 curl is to bend into a round or spiral shape.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:m2:1
# text = To curl is to bend into a round or spiral shape.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	curl	curl	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	csubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	bend	bend	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	into	into	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
8	round	round	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	spiral	spiral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	conj	_	_
11	shape	shape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  | a round shape |  | bend *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To curl up is to lie with your arms and legs pulled close to your body.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:m3:1
# text = To curl up is to lie with your arms and legs pulled close to your body.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	curl	curl	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	lie	lie	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	arms	arm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	legs	leg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	conj	_	_
12	pulled	pull	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	acl	_	_
13	close	close	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	12	advmod	_	_
14	to	to	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	16	nmod:poss	_	_
16	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl up** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | with your arms and legs; lie *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **pull** | participle |  | your arms and legs *not said here* |  | your body |  | close *property* | vn slide-11.2 «NP V PP.destination»: agent=Theme to body=Destination |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A curl is any spiral shape, like a curl of smoke.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:m4:1
# text = A curl is any spiral shape, like a curl of smoke.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	curl	curl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	6	det	_	_
5	spiral	spiral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	shape	shape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	curl	curl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a curl | any spiral shape |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She has long brown curls.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x1:1
# text = She has long brown curls.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
4	brown	brown	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	curls	curl	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | She | long brown curls |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent curl=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cat curled up on the cushion.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x2:1
# text = The cat curled up on the cushion.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	curled	curl	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	cushion	cushion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl up** | participle |  | the cat *not said here* |  | the cushion |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A hedgehog curls into a ball when it is scared.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x3:1
# text = A hedgehog curls into a ball when it is scared.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hedgehog	hedgehog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	curls	curl	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	into	into	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	10	mark	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	scared	scared	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl** | present | a hedgehog |  |  | a ball |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme into ball=Destination |
| 2 | **is** | present | hedgehog |  |  |  |  | scared *property* | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Smoke curled from the chimney.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x4:1
# text = Smoke curled from the chimney.
1	Smoke	smoke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	curled	curl	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl	_	_
3	from	from	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	chimney	chimney	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl** | participle |  | Smoke *not said here* |  | the chimney |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme from chimney=Destination |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The dry leaves curled at the edges.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x5:1
# text = The dry leaves curled at the edges.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	dry	dry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	leaves	leaf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	curled	curl	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	edges	edge	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl** | participle |  | the dry leaves *not said here* |  | the edges |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He curled his fingers around the cup.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x6:1
# text = He curled his fingers around the cup.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	curled	curl	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|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	fingers	finger	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	around	around	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	cup	cup	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl** | past | He | his fingers |  | the cup |  |  | vn coil-9.6-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent finger=Theme around cup=Destination |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Curling is a sport played on ice with heavy stones.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x7:1
# text = Curling is a sport played on ice with heavy stones.
1	Curling	curling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	sport	sport	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	played	play	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	ice	ice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	stones	stone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Curling | a sport |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **play** | participle |  | a sport *not said here* |  | ice |  | with heavy stones | vn play-114.2-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent with stone=Theme |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Then he curled himself up and went to sleep.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:curl:x8:1
# text = Then he curled himself up and went to sleep.
1	Then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	advmod	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	curled	curl	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	himself	himself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	3	obj	_	_
5	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	went	go	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	sleep	sleep	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curl up** | past | he | himself *= he* |  |  | then |  | vn braid-41.2.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent himself=Patient |
| 2 | **go** | past | he *not said here* |  |  | sleep |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to sleep=Initial\_Location |

<!-- 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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