---
title: desire — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «desire» in the school dictionary: noun. 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/D/desire/)

<!-- 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/) / [D](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/) / desire

# desire

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** lot, desire, She, only desire, hero, you · **What happens:** leave, desire, mean, not be, be, long · **To what, where:** lot, strong wish, something, it, strong desire, vet · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«desire» in the school dictionary: its 3 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: [desire in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/desire.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
noun.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:m1:1
# text = noun.
1	noun	noun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

<!-- .note -->
The example in this meaning, parsed on its own:

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A desire is a strong wish or longing for something.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:m1e:1
# text = A desire is a strong wish or longing for something.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	desire	desire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	wish	wish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	longing	long	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	conj	_	_
9	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a desire | a strong wish |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **long** | gerund | a desire *not said here* |  |  |  |  | for something | vn long-32.2 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Pivot for something=Theme |

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
verb (formal).

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:m2:1
# text = verb (formal).
1	verb	verb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	formal	formal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

<!-- .note -->
The example in this meaning, parsed on its own:

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To desire something means to want it very much.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:m2e:1
# text = To desire something means to want it very much.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	desire	desire	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	csubj	_	_
3	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
4	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	want	want	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	very	very	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	much	much	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **desire** | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot something=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **want** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  | it |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot it=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"Leaves a lot to be desired" means it is not very good.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:m3:1
# text = "Leaves a lot to be desired" means it is not very good.
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Leaves	leave	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	csubj	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	lot	lot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
6	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	desired	desire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
9	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
13	very	very	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
14	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leave** *in a quote* | present |  | a lot |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lot=Theme |
| 2 | **desire** *in a quote* | to-infinitive · passive |  | a lot *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF» |
| 3 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **not** **is** | present | lot |  |  |  |  | good *property* | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She had a strong desire to become a vet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x1:1
# text = She had a strong desire to become a vet.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	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	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	desire	desire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	become	become	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	vet	vet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | She | a strong desire |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent desire=Patient |
| 2 | **become** | to-infinitive | She *not said here* | a vet |  |  |  |  | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The hero's only desire was to get home.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x2:1
# text = The hero's only desire was to get home.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hero	hero	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	only	only	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	desire	desire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
9	home	home	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the hero's only desire |  |  |  |  | get, home *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **desire** |  | the hero |  |  |  |  |  | nom desire «feeling transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Add salt until you get the desired taste.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x3:1
# text = Add salt until you get the desired taste.
1	Add	add	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	salt	salt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
3	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
5	get	get	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	desired	desire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	amod	_	_
8	taste	taste	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **add** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* | salt |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent salt=Patient |
| 2 | **get** | present | you | the desired taste |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer taste=Stimulus |
| 3 | **desire** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He had no desire to go out in the rain.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x4:1
# text = He had no desire to go out in the rain.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
4	desire	desire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl	_	_
7	out	out	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | He | no desire |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent desire=Patient |
| 2 | **go out** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | no desire *not said here* |  | the rain |  | out *property* | vn interact-36.6 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The king desired a golden crown.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x5:1
# text = The king desired a golden crown.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	desired	desire	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	golden	golden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	crown	crown	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **desire** | past | the king | a golden crown |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot crown=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The food at the camp left a lot to be desired.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x6:1
# text = The food at the camp left a lot to be desired.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	camp	camp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	left	leave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	lot	lot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	desired	desire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leave** | past | the food at the camp | a lot |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lot=Theme |
| 2 | **desire** | to-infinitive · passive | the food at the camp *not said here* | a lot *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF» |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Round your answer to the desired number of decimal places.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x7:1
# text = Round your answer to the desired number of decimal places.
1	Round	round	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	desired	desire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	decimal	decimal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	places	place	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **desire** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **answer** |  | your |  |  |  |  | to the desired number of decimal places | nom answer «communication transitive»: poss=agent to=obl |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
“Because young people have strong desires.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:desire:x8:1
# text = “Because young people have strong desires.
1	“	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
3	young	young	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	desires	desire	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** *in a quote* | present | young people | strong desires |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent desire=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: [desirable](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desirable/)
- next →: [desirous](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/desirous/)
- ↑ back to [D in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/)