---
title: devolve — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «devolve» in the school dictionary: To devolve is to pass a duty, power or job on to another person, often because the first person is no longer able to do it. 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/devolve/)

<!-- 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/) / devolve

# devolve

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** first person, duty, king, task · **What happens:** devolve, be, do, guard, grow, fall · **To what, where:** person, gate, youngest guard, rule, task, me

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To devolve is to pass a duty, power or job on to another person, often because the first person is no longer able to do it.

<!-- fold The tree, 26 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:devolve:m1:1
# text = To devolve is to pass a duty, power or job on to another person, often because the first person is no longer able to do it.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	devolve	devolve	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	pass	pass	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	duty	duty	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	power	power	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	job	job	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
12	on	on	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	15	det	_	_
15	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	25	punct	_	_
17	often	often	ADV	RB	_	25	advmod	_	_
18	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	25	mark	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
20	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	21	amod	_	_
21	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	25	nsubj	_	_
22	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	25	cop	_	_
23	no	no	ADV	RB	_	24	advmod	_	_
24	longer	long	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	25	advmod	_	_
25	able	able	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	_
26	to	to	PART	TO	_	27	mark	_	_
27	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	25	xcomp	_	_
28	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	27	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **devolve** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | on another person; pass *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | present | the first person |  |  |  |  | able, long, often *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **do** | to-infinitive | the first person *not said here* | person |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |

<!-- .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.

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The duty of guarding the gate devolved on the youngest guard.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:devolve:x1:1
# text = The duty of guarding the gate devolved on the youngest guard.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	duty	duty	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
4	guarding	guard	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	gate	gate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	devolved	devolve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	youngest	young	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	11	amod	_	_
11	guard	guard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **guard** | gerund | the duty *not said here* | the gate |  |  |  |  | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent gate=Beneficiary |
| 2 | **devolve** | participle |  | the gate *not said here* |  | the youngest guard |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
When the king grew old, rule devolved upon his son.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:devolve:x2:1
# text = When the king grew old, rule devolved upon his son.
1	When	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	grew	grow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	devolved	devolve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl	_	_
9	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	son	son	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grow** | past | the king | rule |  |  |  | old *property* | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **devolve** | participle |  | rule *not said here* |  |  |  | upon king's son | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The task devolved to me after the captain fell ill.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:devolve:x3:1
# text = The task devolved to me after the captain fell ill.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	task	task	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
3	devolved	devolve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	obl	_	_
6	after	after	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	captain	captain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	fell	fall	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	ill	ill	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **devolve** | participle |  | the task *not said here* | me |  | after the captain |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP PP.goal»: agent=Agent to i=Goal |
| 2 | **fall** | past | the task |  |  |  |  | ill *property* | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- 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: [devolution](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/devolution/)
- next →: [devon](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/devon/)
- ↑ back to [D in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/)