---
title: determinant — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «determinant» in the school dictionary: Something that decides or strongly affects what happens, as in «Sleep is a big determinant of how well you learn». Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# determinant

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Sleep, you, Weather, many people, Practice, Scientists · **What happens:** decide, affect, happen, be, learn, work out · **To what, where:** big determinant, special number, square table, matrix, higher maths, primary school

<!-- .vabout -->
«determinant» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 6 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: [determinant in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/determinant.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Something that decides or strongly affects what happens, as in «Sleep is a big determinant of how well you learn».

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:m1:1
# text = Something that decides or strongly affects what happens, as in «Sleep is a big determinant of how well you learn».
1	Something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	decides	decide	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
5	strongly	strongly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	affects	affect	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
7	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	nsubj	_	_
8	happens	happen	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
10	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
12	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	Sleep	sleep	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	determinant	determinant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
18	of	of	ADP	IN	_	22	advmod	_	_
19	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	20	advmod	_	_
20	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	22	advmod	_	_
21	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	22	nsubj	_	_
22	learn	learn	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	22	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **decide** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **affect** | present |  |  |  |  |  | strongly *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **happen** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **is** *in a quote* | present | Sleep |  |  | a big determinant |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **learn** *in a quote* | present | you |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn learn-14-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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: maths — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A special number worked out from a square table of numbers (a matrix), used in higher maths; it is not usually taught at primary school.

<!-- fold The tree, 25 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:m2:1
# text = A special number worked out from a square table of numbers (a matrix), used in higher maths; it is not usually taught at primary school.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	special	special	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	26	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	worked	work	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	out	out	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	square	square	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	table	table	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	numbers	number	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	_
12	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	matrix	matrix	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
17	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	14	acl	_	_
18	in	in	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
19	higher	high	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	20	amod	_	_
20	maths	math	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	26	punct	_	_
22	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	26	nsubj:pass	_	_
23	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	26	aux:pass	_	_
24	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	26	advmod	_	_
25	usually	usually	ADV	RB	_	26	advmod	_	_
26	taught	teach	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
27	at	at	ADP	IN	_	29	case	_	_
28	primary	primary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	29	amod	_	_
29	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	26	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
30	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	26	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **work out** | participle |  | a special number *not said here* |  | a square table of numbers |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **use** | participle |  | a matrix *not said here* |  | higher maths |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **not** **teach** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | a special number |  | primary school |  | usually *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Weather is a key determinant of how many people visit the beach.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:x1:1
# text = Weather is a key determinant of how many people visit the beach.
1	Weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	key	key	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	determinant	determinant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
8	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
10	visit	visit	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	beach	beach	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Weather | a key determinant |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **visit** | present | many people | the beach |  |  |  |  | vn meet-36.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent beach=Co-Agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Practice is the main determinant of how well you play.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:x2:1
# text = Practice is the main determinant of how well you play.
1	Practice	practice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	main	main	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	determinant	determinant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
7	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
8	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	10	advmod	_	_
9	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	play	play	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Practice | the main determinant |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **play** | present | you |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn performance-26.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Scientists studied the determinants of good health.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:x3:1
# text = Scientists studied the determinants of good health.
1	Scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	studied	study	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	determinants	determinant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	health	health	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **study** | past | Scientists | the determinants of good health |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent determinant=Topic |
| 2 | **determine** |  |  | good health |  |  |  |  | nom determinant «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Rainfall is a determinant of which plants can grow.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:x4:1
# text = Rainfall is a determinant of which plants can grow.
1	Rainfall	rainfall	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	determinant	determinant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obl	_	_
7	plants	plant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
8	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	grow	grow	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Rainfall | a determinant |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **grow** | can | plants |  |  |  |  | of a determinant | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In older maths classes you learn to find the determinant of a matrix.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:x5:1
# text = In older maths classes you learn to find the determinant of a matrix.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
2	older	old	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	4	amod	_	_
3	maths	math	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	compound	_	_
4	classes	class	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
5	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	learn	learn	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	determinant	determinant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	matrix	matrix	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **learn** | present | you |  |  | older maths classes |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **find** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | the determinant of a matrix |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent determinant=Topic |
| 3 | **determine** |  |  | a matrix |  |  |  |  | nom determinant «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Price is often a determinant of what people buy.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:determinant:x6:1
# text = Price is often a determinant of what people buy.
1	Price	price	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	often	often	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	determinant	determinant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	5	nmod	_	_
8	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	buy	buy	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Price | a determinant |  |  |  | often *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **buy** | present | people |  |  |  |  |  | vn accept-77.1 «NP V how S»: agent=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 -->

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