---
title: examine — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «examine» in the school dictionary: To examine something is to look at it very carefully to find out about it. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# examine

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** doctor, person, you, detective, We, vet · **What happens:** examine, be, find out, check, mean, question · **To what, where:** something, it, you, health, pupils, them

<!-- .vabout -->
«examine» in the school dictionary: its 4 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: [examine in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/examine.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To examine something is to look at it very carefully to find out about it.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:m1:1
# text = To examine something is to look at it very carefully to find out about it.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	examine	examine	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
3	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	look	look	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obl	_	_
9	very	very	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
13	out	out	ADP	RP	_	12	compound:prt	_	_
14	about	about	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  | it |  | carefully, look *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **find out** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | about it | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about it=Topic |

<!-- .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 doctor examines you to check your health.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:m2:1
# text = A doctor examines you to check your health.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	doctor	doctor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	examines	examine	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	check	check	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
7	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	health	health	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | present | a doctor | you |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent you=Theme |
| 2 | **check** | to-infinitive | a doctor *not said here* | your health |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent health=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To examine pupils is to test their knowledge with an exam.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:m3:1
# text = To examine pupils is to test their knowledge with an exam.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	examine	examine	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
3	pupils	pupil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	test	test	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	knowledge	knowledge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	with	with	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	exam	exam	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | to-infinitive |  | pupils |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pupil=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | with a exam; test *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To examine a person can also mean to question them closely to find out the truth.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:m4:1
# text = To examine a person can also mean to question them closely to find out the truth.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	examine	examine	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	advcl	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
6	also	also	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	question	question	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	closely	closely	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	advcl	_	_
14	out	out	ADP	RP	_	13	compound:prt	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **mean** | can | a person |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **question** *speech: other* *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* | them *= they* |  |  |  | closely *property* | vn interrogate-37.1.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Recipient |
| 4 | **find out** | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* | the truth |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent truth=Topic |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Examine the leaf under the microscope.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x1:1
# text = Examine the leaf under the microscope.
1	Examine	examine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	leaf	leaf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	under	under	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	microscope	microscope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | imperative | you *not said here* | the leaf |  | the microscope |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent leaf=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The detective examined the footprints.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x2:1
# text = The detective examined the footprints.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	detective	detective	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	examined	examine	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	footprints	footprint	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 | **examine** | past | the detective | the footprints |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent footprint=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The doctor examined my sore throat.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x3:1
# text = The doctor examined my sore throat.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	doctor	doctor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	examined	examine	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
5	sore	sore	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	throat	throat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | past | the doctor | my sore throat |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent throat=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We examined the rock and found a fossil.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x4:1
# text = We examined the rock and found a fossil.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	examined	examine	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	found	find	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	fossil	fossil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | past | We | the rock |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rock=Theme |
| 2 | **find** | past | We *not said here* | a fossil |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fossil=Topic |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Examine the graph carefully before you answer.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x5:1
# text = Examine the graph carefully before you answer.
1	Examine	examine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	graph	graph	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
5	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	answer	answer	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | imperative | you *not said here* | the graph |  |  |  | carefully *property* | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent graph=Theme |
| 2 | **answer** *speech: assert* | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn reciprocate-112-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The vet examined the dog's paw.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x6:1
# text = The vet examined the dog's paw.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	vet	vet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	examined	examine	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	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	paw	paw	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | past | the vet | the dog's paw |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent paw=Theme |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pupils will be examined in maths at the end of the year.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x7:1
# text = Pupils will be examined in maths at the end of the year.
1	Pupils	pupil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	examined	examine	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	maths	math	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **examine** | future · passive |  | Pupils |  | maths | at the end of the year |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Have them examined, and they will confess their crime.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:examine:x8:1
# text = Have them examined, and they will confess their crime.
1	Have	have	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	examined	examine	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
7	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
8	confess	confess	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	parataxis	_	_
9	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	crime	crime	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | imperative | you *not said here* | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **examine** | participle | them *= they* *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **confess** | future | they | their crime |  |  |  |  | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent crime=Topic |
| 4 | **incriminate** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom crime «act transitive»: poss=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 -->

<!-- pn -->
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