---
title: delicate — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «delicate» in the school dictionary: Delicate means easily broken or damaged, so it needs gentle care. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# delicate

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Delicate, it, delicate taste, delicate situation, nobody, you · **What happens:** mean, break, damage, need, be, not be · **To what, where:** gentle care, careful handling, delicate wings, jumper, delicate setting, delicate flavour · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Delicate means easily broken or damaged, so it needs gentle care.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:m1:1
# text = Delicate means easily broken or damaged, so it needs gentle care.
1	Delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	easily	easily	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	ccomp	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	damaged	damage	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
11	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	care	care	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Delicate |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **break** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | easily *property* | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **damage** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **need** | present | it | gentle care |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot care=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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Delicate means fine, thin or light and pretty, like lace or a butterfly's wings.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:m2:1
# text = Delicate means fine, thin or light and pretty, like lace or a butterfly's wings.
1	Delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	thin	thin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	light	light	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	pretty	pretty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	like	like	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	lace	lace	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	parataxis	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	butterfly	butterfly	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	's	's	PART	POS	_	15	case	_	_
17	wings	wing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Delicate |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A delicate taste, colour or smell is soft and not strong.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:m3:1
# text = A delicate taste, colour or smell is soft and not strong.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	taste	taste	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	smell	smell	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a delicate taste and colour or smell |  |  |  |  | soft *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **be** |  | a delicate taste and colour or smell *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A delicate situation needs careful handling so nobody is upset.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:m4:1
# text = A delicate situation needs careful handling so nobody is upset.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	situation	situation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	careful	careful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	handling	handling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	10	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	upset	upset	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | a delicate situation | careful handling |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot handling=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | nobody |  |  |  |  | upset *property* | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Be careful, the glass vase is very delicate.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x1:1
# text = Be careful, the glass vase is very delicate.
1	Be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	cop	_	_
2	careful	careful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	glass	glass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	vase	vase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	very	very	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | careful *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | the glass vase |  |  |  |  | delicate *property* | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A butterfly has delicate wings.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x2:1
# text = A butterfly has delicate wings.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	butterfly	butterfly	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	wings	wing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | a butterfly | delicate wings |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wing=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wash this jumper on the delicate setting.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x3:1
# text = Wash this jumper on the delicate setting.
1	Wash	wash	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
3	jumper	jumper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	setting	setting	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 | **wash** | imperative | you *not said here* | this jumper |  | the delicate setting |  |  | vn floss-41.2.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent jumper=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The soup had a delicate flavour of herbs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x4:1
# text = The soup had a delicate flavour of herbs.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	soup	soup	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	flavour	flavour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	herbs	herb	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | the soup | a delicate flavour of herbs |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent flavour=Patient |
| 2 | **flavour** |  |  | herbs |  |  |  |  | nom flavour «state transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Coral reefs are delicate and easily damaged.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x5:1
# text = Coral reefs are delicate and easily damaged.
1	Coral	coral	NOUN	NN	_	2	compound	_	_
2	reefs	reef	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
6	easily	easily	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	damaged	damage	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Coral reefs |  |  |  |  | delicate *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **damage** | participle | Coral reefs *not said here* |  |  |  |  | easily *property* | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Telling your friend the truth was a delicate matter.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x6:1
# text = Telling your friend the truth was a delicate matter.
1	Telling	tell	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	csubj	_	_
2	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	iobj	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	matter	matter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund |  | the truth | your friend |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent friend=Recipient truth=Topic |
| 2 | **is a** | past | Telling | a delicate matter |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The lace on the dress was delicate and white.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x7:1
# text = The lace on the dress was delicate and white.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	lace	lace	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	dress	dress	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	white	white	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the lace on the dress |  |  |  |  | delicate *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | the lace on the dress *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She was pretty and delicate indeed.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:delicate:x8:1
# text = She was pretty and delicate indeed.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	pretty	pretty	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	delicate	delicate	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	indeed	indeed	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | She |  |  |  |  | delicate, indeed, pretty *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 -->
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