---
title: firm — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «firm» in the school dictionary: Solid and not soft; hard to press in or move: a firm mattress, firm ground. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# firm

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** firm, you, jelly, we, teacher, pears · **What happens:** press in, move, change, be, hold, stop · **To what, where:** company, rail, stairs, bleeding, jelly, firm ground

<!-- .vabout -->
«firm» in the school dictionary: its 5 meanings for a pupil and its 9 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: [firm in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/firm.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Solid and not soft; hard to press in or move: a firm mattress, firm ground.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:m1:1
# text = Solid and not soft; hard to press in or move: a firm mattress, firm ground.
1	Solid	solid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	nsubj	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	press	press	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	RP	_	8	compound:prt	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	move	move	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	15	punct	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	mattress	mattress	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
17	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **press in** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn push-12-1-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **move** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=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 -->
Strong and steady: a firm grip, a firm handshake.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:m2:1
# text = Strong and steady: a firm grip, a firm handshake.
1	Strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	steady	steady	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	grip	grip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	handshake	handshake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Not likely to change; definite: a firm decision, a firm friend.

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:m3:1
# text = Not likely to change; definite: a firm decision, a firm friend.
1	Not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	2	advmod	_	_
2	likely	likely	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	change	change	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	definite	definite	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	10	punct	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	decision	decision	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Strict but fair: a firm teacher.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:m4:1
# text = Strict but fair: a firm teacher.
1	Strict	strict	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
2	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	fair	fair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## Meaning 5 {#m5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
As a noun, a firm is a company or business.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:m5:1
# text = As a noun, a firm is a company or business.
1	As	as	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	noun	noun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	firm	firm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	company	company	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	business	business	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a firm | a company or business |  |  |  | as a noun | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hold the rail firmly on the stairs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x1:1
# text = Hold the rail firmly on the stairs.
1	Hold	hold	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	rail	rail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	firmly	firmly	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	stairs	stair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | imperative | you *not said here* | the rail |  | the stairs |  | firmly *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent rail=Theme on stair=Location |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Press firmly on the cut to stop the bleeding.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x2:1
# text = Press firmly on the cut to stop the bleeding.
1	Press	press	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	firmly	firmly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	cut	cut	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	acl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	bleeding	bleeding	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | to-infinitive |  | the bleeding |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality bleeding=Eventuality |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The jelly is firm now, so we can eat it.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x3:1
# text = The jelly is firm now, so we can eat it.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	jelly	jelly	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	now	now	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	so	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
8	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
9	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	eat	eat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	parataxis	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the jelly |  |  |  | now | firm *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **eat** | can | we | jelly |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Our teacher is firm but fair.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x4:1
# text = Our teacher is firm but fair.
1	Our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	fair	fair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Our teacher |  |  |  |  | firm *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | Our teacher *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pears aren't ripe yet; they're still firm.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x5:1
# text = The pears aren't ripe yet; they're still firm.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pears	pear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	ripe	ripe	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
10	still	still	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | present | the pears |  |  |  | yet | ripe *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | pears *= pear* |  |  |  | still | firm *property* | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We stayed on firm ground away from the bog.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x6:1
# text = We stayed on firm ground away from the bog.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	stayed	stay	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	firm	firm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	away	away	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	bog	bog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stay** | past | We |  |  | firm ground |  | away *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on ground=Location |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
My dad works for a law firm.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x7:1
# text = My dad works for a law firm.
1	My	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	works	work	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	firm	firm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **work** | present | My dad |  |  |  |  | for a law firm | vn employment-95.3 «NP V PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent for firm=Beneficiary |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pizza is a firm favourite in our house.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x8:1
# text = Pizza is a firm favourite in our house.
1	Pizza	pizza	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	favourite	favourite	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	house	house	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Pizza | a firm favourite |  | our house |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 9 {#x9}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The boy stood firm and still.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:firm:x9:1
# text = The boy stood firm and still.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	stood	stand	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	firm	firm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	still	still	ADV	RB	_	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stand** | past | the boy |  |  |  |  | firm *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=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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