---
title: dictation — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «dictation» in the school dictionary: Dictation is saying words aloud so that someone else can write them down exactly. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# dictation

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Dictation, someone, We, prince, vizier, you · **What happens:** say, write down, be, read, write, have · **To what, where:** words, passage, spelling dictation, letter, dictation, word · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dictation is saying words aloud so that someone else can write them down exactly.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dictation:m1:1
# text = Dictation is saying words aloud so that someone else can write them down exactly.
1	Dictation	dictation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	saying	say	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	aloud	aloud	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
6	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
7	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
8	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	11	nsubj	_	_
9	else	else	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
10	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	write	write	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
12	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
13	down	down	ADP	RP	_	11	compound:prt	_	_
14	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present · progressive | Dictation | words |  |  |  | aloud *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent word=Topic |
| 2 | **write down** | can | someone | words *= word* |  |  |  | exactly *property* | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=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 -->
A dictation can be the passage that is read aloud for pupils to write.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dictation:m2:1
# text = A dictation can be the passage that is read aloud for pupils to write.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dictation	dictation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	cop	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	read	read	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl:relcl	_	_
10	aloud	aloud	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
11	for	for	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	pupils	pupil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	write	write	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | can | a dictation | the passage |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **read** | present · passive |  | the passage |  |  |  | for pupils; aloud *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Topic |
| 3 | **write** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We had a spelling dictation today.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dictation:x1:1
# text = We had a spelling dictation today.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	dictation	dictation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	today	today	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | We | a spelling dictation |  |  | today |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent dictation=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prince wrote the letter at the vizier's dictation.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dictation:x2:1
# text = The prince wrote the letter at the vizier's dictation.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prince	prince	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wrote	write	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	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	vizier	vizier	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	's	's	PART	POS	_	8	case	_	_
10	dictation	dictation	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 | **write** | past | the prince | the letter |  | the vizier's dictation |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent letter=Theme |
| 2 | **dictate** |  | the vizier |  |  |  |  |  | nom dictation «communication intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Write down every word of the teacher's dictation.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:dictation:x3:1
# text = Write down every word of the teacher's dictation.
1	Write	write	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	down	down	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	_
3	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	det	_	_
4	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	dictation	dictation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write down** | imperative | you *not said here* | every word of the teacher's dictation |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent word=Theme |
| 2 | **word** |  |  | the teacher's dictation |  |  |  |  | nom word «communication transitive»: of=patient |
| 3 | **dictate** |  | the teacher |  |  |  |  |  | nom dictation «communication intransitive»: poss=agent |

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**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.

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