---
title: erode — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «erode» in the school dictionary: To erode means to wear away slowly, as wind, water or ice rub away rock and soil. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# erode

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** waves, Rivers, Wind, Trees, Telling, friends · **What happens:** erode, mean, wear away, make, carry, help · **To what, where:** something, trust, cliffs, rock, sand dunes, soil · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To erode means to wear away slowly, as wind, water or ice rub away rock and soil.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:m1:1
# text = To erode means to wear away slowly, as wind, water or ice rub away rock and soil.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	erode	erode	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	csubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	wear	wear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	ccomp	_	_
6	away	away	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	ice	ice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	rub	rub	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
16	away	away	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
17	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
18	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
19	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **erode** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn entity\_specific\_cos-45.5 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **wear away** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | as wind and water or ice rub and rock and soil; away, slowly *property* | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V PP-Conative»: 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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To erode can mean to make something slowly weaker or smaller, like trust or confidence being eroded.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:m2:1
# text = To erode can mean to make something slowly weaker or smaller, like trust or confidence being eroded.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	erode	erode	AUX	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	obj	_	_
8	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	weaker	weak	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	xcomp	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	smaller	small	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	like	like	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	trust	trust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
15	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
16	confidence	confidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	conj	_	_
17	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	18	aux:pass	_	_
18	eroded	erode	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	14	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | can · infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **make** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  | like trust or confidence; weak *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset something=Product |
| 3 | **erode** | gerund · passive |  | trust or confidence *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn entity\_specific\_cos-45.5 «NP.patient V» |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The waves erode the cliffs a little every year.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x1:1
# text = The waves erode the cliffs a little every year.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	waves	wave	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	erode	erode	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	cliffs	cliff	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
8	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **erode** | present | the waves | the cliffs |  |  | year | a little *obl:unmarked* | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Rivers erode rock and carry it downstream.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x2:1
# text = Rivers erode rock and carry it downstream.
1	Rivers	river	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	erode	erode	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	carry	carry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	conj	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	downstream	downstream	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **erode** | present | Rivers | rock |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **carry** | infinitive | Rivers *not said here* | rock |  |  |  | downstream *property* | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wind can erode sand dunes.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x3:1
# text = Wind can erode sand dunes.
1	Wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	erode	erode	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	sand	sand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	dunes	dune	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **erode** | can | Wind | sand dunes |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Trees help stop the soil from eroding.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x4:1
# text = Trees help stop the soil from eroding.
1	Trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	help	help	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	from	from	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	eroding	erode	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present | Trees |  |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **stop** | infinitive | Trees *not said here* | the soil |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality soil=Eventuality |
| 3 | **erode** | gerund | Trees *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn entity\_specific\_cos-45.5 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The old statue's face had eroded in the rain.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x5:1
# text = The old statue's face had eroded in the rain.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	statue	statue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	face	face	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
6	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	eroded	erode	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **erode** | past · perfect · passive |  | the old statue's face |  | the rain |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Telling lies can erode your friends' trust.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x6:1
# text = Telling lies can erode your friends' trust.
1	Telling	tell	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	csubj	_	_
2	lies	lie	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	erode	erode	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	friends	friend	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	'	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	trust	trust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund |  | lies |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent lie=Recipient |
| 2 | **erode** | can | Telling | your friends's trust |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **trust** |  | your friends |  |  |  |  |  | nom trust «possession intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Over thousands of years the river eroded a deep canyon.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x7:1
# text = Over thousands of years the river eroded a deep canyon.
1	Over	over	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	thousands	thousand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	eroded	erode	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	canyon	canyon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **erode** | past | the river | a deep canyon |  | thousands of years |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Soil erosion happens when plants are cut down.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:erode:x8:1
# text = Soil erosion happens when plants are cut down.
1	Soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	erosion	erosion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	happens	happen	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
5	plants	plant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
6	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	cut	cut	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
8	down	down	ADP	RP	_	7	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **happen** | present | Soil erosion |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **cut down** | present · passive |  | plants |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |

<!-- 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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