---
title: frightened — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «frightened» in the school dictionary: Frightened means afraid or scared. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# frightened

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** past form, I, loud thunder, you, it, frightened kitten · **What happens:** frighten, mean, be, make, do, not frighten · **To what, where:** past form, someone, I, dog, wind, bed · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Frightened means afraid or scared.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:m1:1
# text = Frightened means afraid or scared.
1	Frightened	frighten	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	csubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	afraid	afraid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	scared	scared	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  | afraid *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: 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 -->
Frightened is also the past form of «frighten», which means to make someone afraid.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:m2:1
# text = Frightened is also the past form of «frighten», which means to make someone afraid.
1	Frightened	frighten	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	also	also	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	past	past	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	frighten	frighten	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	13	nsubj	_	_
13	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	parataxis	_	_
14	to	to	PART	TO	_	15	mark	_	_
15	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	xcomp	_	_
16	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	15	obj	_	_
17	afraid	afraid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is a** | present |  | the past form |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **frighten** *in a quote* | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 4 | **mean** | present | the past form |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 5 | **make** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the past form *not said here* | someone |  |  |  | afraid *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset someone=Product |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I was frightened of the dark when I was little.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x1:1
# text = I was frightened of the dark when I was little.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	frightened	frighten	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	dark	dark	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
8	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
9	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | past · passive |  | I |  |  |  | of the dark | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is** | past | I |  |  |  |  | little *property* | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The loud thunder frightened the dog.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x2:1
# text = The loud thunder frightened the dog.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	loud	loud	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	thunder	thunder	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	frightened	frighten	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | past | the loud thunder | the dog |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus dog=Experiencer |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Don't be frightened; it's only the wind.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x3:1
# text = Don't be frightened; it's only the wind.
1	Do	do	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
3	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	frightened	frighten	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
8	only	only	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **frighten** | infinitive · passive | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle» |
| 3 | **is a** | present | it | the wind |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The frightened kitten hid under the bed.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x4:1
# text = The frightened kitten hid under the bed.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	frightened	frightened	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	kitten	kitten	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	hid	hide	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	under	under	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	bed	bed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hide** | past | the frightened kitten |  |  | the bed |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent under bed=Location |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She felt frightened when she got lost.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x5:1
# text = She felt frightened when she got lost.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	felt	feel	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	frightened	frightened	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	7	mark	_	_
5	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
6	got	get	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	lost	lose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **feel** | past | She |  |  |  |  | frightened *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **lose** | past · passive |  | she |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Eventuality |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A frightened animal might bite.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x6:1
# text = A frightened animal might bite.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	frightened	frightened	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	bite	bite	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bite** | might | a frightened animal |  |  |  |  |  | vn swat-18.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was frightened to tell anyone what had happened.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x7:1
# text = He was frightened to tell anyone what had happened.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	frightened	frighten	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	5	obj	_	_
7	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	9	nsubj	_	_
8	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	happened	happen	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	5	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | past · passive |  | He |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **tell** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  | anyone |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP what S»: agent=Agent anyone=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 3 | **happen** | past · perfect |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Lasse was frightened and began to cry.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:frightened:x8:1
# text = Lasse was frightened and began to cry.
1	Lasse	Lasse	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	frightened	frighten	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	began	begin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	cry	cry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **frighten** | past · passive |  | Lasse |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Experiencer |
| 2 | **begin** | past |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **cry** *speech: express* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=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.

<!-- /div -->

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