---
title: gentle — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «gentle» in the school dictionary: Gentle means kind and careful, not rough or violent. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# gentle

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Gentle, gentle slope, Gentle sounds, gentlewoman, you, gentle breeze · **What happens:** mean, not be, be, move, give, go up · **To what, where:** woman, curtains, gentle push, me, swing, gentle slope · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«gentle» in the school dictionary: its 5 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: [gentle in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/gentle.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gentle means kind and careful, not rough or violent.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:m1:1
# text = Gentle means kind and careful, not rough or violent.
1	Gentle	gentle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	kind	kind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	careful	careful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	rough	rough	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	violent	violent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Gentle |  |  |  |  | kind *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 -->
Gentle means soft or light, not strong, like a gentle breeze.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:m2:1
# text = Gentle means soft or light, not strong, like a gentle breeze.
1	Gentle	gentle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	light	light	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	like	like	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	breeze	breeze	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Gentle |  |  |  |  | soft *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A gentle slope or hill is not steep.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:m3:1
# text = A gentle slope or hill is not steep.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	slope	slope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	hill	hill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	steep	steep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | present | a gentle slope or hill |  |  |  |  | steep *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gentle sounds or words are quiet and calm.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:m4:1
# text = Gentle sounds or words are quiet and calm.
1	Gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	sounds	sound	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	conj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	quiet	quiet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	calm	calm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

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

## Meaning 5 {#m5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A gentlewoman is a woman of good family, a polite word for a lady.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:m5:1
# text = A gentlewoman is a woman of good family, a polite word for a lady.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	gentlewoman	gentlewoman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	polite	polite	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	lady	lady	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a gentlewoman | a woman and a polite word for a lady |  |  |  | of good family | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Be gentle with the kitten.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x1:1
# text = Be gentle with the kitten.
1	Be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	cop	_	_
2	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	kitten	kitten	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with the kitten; gentle *property* | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A gentle breeze moved the curtains.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x2:1
# text = A gentle breeze moved the curtains.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	breeze	breeze	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	moved	move	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	curtains	curtain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **move** | past | a gentle breeze | the curtains |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent curtain=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She gave me a gentle push on the swing.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x3:1
# text = She gave me a gentle push on the swing.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	gave	give	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	iobj	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	push	push	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	swing	swing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | past | She | a gentle push | me | the swing |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP NP PP.asset»: agent=Agent i=Recipient push=Theme on swing=Asset |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The path went up a gentle slope.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x4:1
# text = The path went up a gentle slope.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	path	path	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	went	go	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	slope	slope	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 | **go up** | past | the path | a gentle slope |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1-1 «NP.patient V NP.extent PP.source PP.goal»: agent=Patient slope=Extent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He has a gentle voice.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x5:1
# text = He has a gentle voice.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	voice	voice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | He | a gentle voice |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent voice=Patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandma is kind and gentle.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x6:1
# text = Grandma is kind and gentle.
1	Grandma	grandma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	kind	kind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The elephant was a gentle giant.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x7:1
# text = The elephant was a gentle giant.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	elephant	elephant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
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	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	giant	giant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the elephant | a gentle giant |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"His name is Walter Raleigh," said the gentle-woman.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gentle:x8:1
# text = "His name is Walter Raleigh," said the gentle-woman.
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	Walter	Walter	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
6	Raleigh	Raleigh	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
9	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
11	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | His name | Walter |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Walter |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **name** *in a quote* |  | His *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom name «communication 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 -->

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