---
title: destruction — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «destruction» in the school dictionary: Destruction is the act of destroying something so badly that it is ruined or no longer exists. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# destruction

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Destruction, act, someone, tornado, Firefighters, puppy · **What happens:** be, destroy, ruin, exist, leave, hope · **To what, where:** act, something, Destruction, damage, hopes, path

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Destruction is the act of destroying something so badly that it is ruined or no longer exists.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:m1:1
# text = Destruction is the act of destroying something so badly that it is ruined or no longer exists.
1	Destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	act	act	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	destroying	destroy	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
7	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	obj	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	badly	badly	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	6	advmod	_	_
10	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	ruined	ruin	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	advcl	_	_
14	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
15	no	no	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
16	longer	long	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	17	advmod	_	_
17	exists	exist	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Destruction | the act |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **destroy** | gerund | the act *not said here* | something |  |  |  | badly *property* | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Patient |
| 3 | **ruin** | present · passive |  | Destruction |  |  |  |  | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 4 | **exist** | present |  |  |  |  |  | long *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=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 -->
The damage left after a storm, fire, war or accident.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:m2:1
# text = The damage left after a storm, fire, war or accident.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	damage	damage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	left	leave	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	after	after	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	storm	storm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	war	war	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
11	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	accident	accident	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leave** | participle |  | the damage *not said here* |  |  | after a storm  war or accident and fire |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The ruin of someone's hopes, health or life.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:m3:1
# text = The ruin of someone's hopes, health or life.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	ruin	ruin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	hopes	hope	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	health	health	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ruin** |  |  | someone's hopes and health or life |  |  |  |  | nom ruin «state transitive»: of=patient |
| 2 | **hope** |  | someone |  |  |  |  |  | nom hope «feeling intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The tornado left a path of destruction across the town.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x1:1
# text = The tornado left a path of destruction across the town.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tornado	tornado	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	left	leave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	path	path	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	across	across	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	town	town	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leave** | past | the tornado | a path of destruction |  | the town |  |  | vn leave-51.2-1 «NP V NP.initial\_location PP.destination»: agent=Theme path=Source across town=Destination |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The destruction of rainforests harms many animals.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x2:1
# text = The destruction of rainforests harms many animals.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	rainforests	rainforest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	harms	harm	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	animals	animal	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 | **harm** | present | the destruction of rainforests | many animals |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus animal=Experiencer |
| 2 | **destroy** |  |  | rainforests |  |  |  |  | nom destruction «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Firefighters tried to stop the destruction of the old barn.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x3:1
# text = Firefighters tried to stop the destruction of the old barn.
1	Firefighters	firefighter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	tried	try	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	barn	barn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **try** | past | Firefighters |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **stop** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | Firefighters *not said here* | the destruction of the old barn |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality destruction=Eventuality |
| 3 | **destroy** |  |  | the old barn |  |  |  |  | nom destruction «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The puppy caused total destruction in the living room.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x4:1
# text = The puppy caused total destruction in the living room.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	puppy	puppy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	caused	cause	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	total	total	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	living	living	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	room	room	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cause** | past | the puppy | total destruction |  | the living room |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition destruction=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Volcanoes can bring great destruction to nearby villages.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x5:1
# text = Volcanoes can bring great destruction to nearby villages.
1	Volcanoes	volcano	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	bring	bring	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	nearby	nearby	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	villages	village	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bring** | can | Volcanoes | great destruction |  | nearby villages |  |  | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent destruction=Theme to village=Destination |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The film showed the destruction of the ancient city.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x6:1
# text = The film showed the destruction of the ancient city.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	film	film	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	showed	show	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	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	ancient	ancient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	city	city	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | past | the film | the destruction of the ancient city |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent destruction=Recipient |
| 2 | **destroy** |  |  | the ancient city |  |  |  |  | nom destruction «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pollution leads to the destruction of coral reefs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x7:1
# text = Pollution leads to the destruction of coral reefs.
1	Pollution	pollution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	leads	lead	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	coral	coral	NOUN	NN	_	8	compound	_	_
8	reefs	reef	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lead** | present | Pollution |  |  |  |  | to the destruction of coral reefs | vn result-27.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Precondition to destruction=Patient |
| 2 | **destroy** |  |  | coral reefs |  |  |  |  | nom destruction «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Keep it, it has only led to his destruction.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:destruction:x8:1
# text = Keep it, it has only led to his destruction.
1	Keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
6	only	only	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	led	lead	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	parataxis	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	destruction	destruction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | imperative | you *not said here* | it |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 2 | **lead** | present · perfect · passive |  | it |  | his destruction |  |  | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP PP.destination»: subject=Theme to destruction=Destination |
| 3 | **destroy** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom destruction «act transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- 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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