---
title: distraction — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «distraction» in the school dictionary: Something that takes your attention away from what you should be doing: «Phones are a distraction in class». Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# distraction

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** you, Phones, your, Something fun, dog, Tom · **What happens:** take, do, be, attend, mind, drive · **To what, where:** attention, distraction, class, mind, worries, state

<!-- .vabout -->
«distraction» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 7 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: [distraction in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/distraction.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Something that takes your attention away from what you should be doing: «Phones are a distraction in class».

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:m1:1
# text = Something that takes your attention away from what you should be doing: «Phones are a distraction in class».
1	Something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	takes	take	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
4	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	attention	attention	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	away	away	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	obl	_	_
9	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
10	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	aux	_	_
12	doing	do	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	18	punct	_	_
14	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	Phones	phone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	nsubj	_	_
16	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	class	class	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | present |  | your attention |  |  |  | away *property* | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent attention=Theme |
| 2 | **do** | should · progressive | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | Phones | a distraction |  | class |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **attend** |  | your |  |  |  |  |  | nom attention «cognition intransitive»: poss=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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Something fun that takes your mind off worries; an amusement.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:m2:1
# text = Something fun that takes your mind off worries; an amusement.
1	Something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	compound	_	_
2	fun	fun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	takes	take	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
5	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	mind	mind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	off	off	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	worries	worry	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	amusement	amusement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | present | Something fun and a amusement | your mind |  | worries |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location»: agent=Agent mind=Theme off worry=Initial\_Location |
| 2 | **mind** |  | your |  |  |  |  |  | nom mind «cognition transitive»: poss=agent |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A state of great worry or confusion: «driven to distraction».

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:m3:1
# text = A state of great worry or confusion: «driven to distraction».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	state	state	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	worry	worry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	confusion	confusion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	10	punct	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	driven	drive	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drive** *in a quote* | participle |  | a state of great worry or confusion *not said here* |  | distraction |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent to distraction=Trajectory |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Phones are a big distraction during homework.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:x1:1
# text = Phones are a big distraction during homework.
1	Phones	phone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	during	during	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	homework	homework	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Phones | a big distraction |  |  | during homework |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The dog barking was a distraction during the test.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:x2:1
# text = The dog barking was a distraction during the test.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	barking	bark	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	during	during	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bark** | gerund | the dog *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn animal\_sounds-38 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | past | the dog | a distraction |  |  | during the test |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
While Tom caused a distraction, Mia grabbed the key.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:x3:1
# text = While Tom caused a distraction, Mia grabbed the key.
1	While	while	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	Tom	Tom	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	caused	cause	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
7	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	grabbed	grab	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	key	key	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cause** | past | Tom | a distraction |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition distraction=Patient |
| 2 | **grab** | past | Mia | the key |  |  |  |  | vn steal-10.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent key=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Playing football was a welcome distraction from his worries.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:x4:1
# text = Playing football was a welcome distraction from his worries.
1	Playing	play	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	csubj	_	_
2	football	football	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	welcome	welcome	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	worries	worry	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **play** | gerund |  | football |  |  |  |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent football=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | past | Playing | a welcome distraction |  | his worries |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **worry** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom worry «cognition intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The noise from the road drives Mum to distraction.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:x5:1
# text = The noise from the road drives Mum to distraction.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	noise	noise	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	from	from	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	drives	drive	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drive** | present | the noise from the road | Mum |  | distraction |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent mum=Theme to distraction=Trajectory |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Never let anything be a distraction when you cross the road.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:x6:1
# text = Never let anything be a distraction when you cross the road.
1	Never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	2	advmod	_	_
2	let	let	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	anything	anything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	nsubj	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	distraction	distraction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	9	advmod	_	_
8	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	cross	cross	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **let** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V PP.recipient»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | infinitive | anything | a distraction |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **cross** | present | you | the road |  |  |  |  | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent road=Patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We need a quiet room without distractions.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:distraction:x7:1
# text = We need a quiet room without distractions.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	quiet	quiet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	room	room	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	without	without	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	distractions	distraction	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | We | a quiet room |  |  |  | without distractions | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot room=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 -->

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