---
title: gorilla — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «gorilla» in the school dictionary: A gorilla is the largest kind of ape, a very strong, mostly gentle animal with dark fur that lives in the forests of central Africa. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# gorilla

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** gorilla, dark fur, male gorilla, We, Gorillas, Mountain gorillas · **What happens:** be, live, mean, say, sit, eat · **To what, where:** largest kind, forests, big rough frightening man, leaves, two grown men, gorillas · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A gorilla is the largest kind of ape, a very strong, mostly gentle animal with dark fur that lives in the forests of central Africa.

<!-- fold The tree, 25 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:m1:1
# text = A gorilla is the largest kind of ape, a very strong, mostly gentle animal with dark fur that lives in the forests of central Africa.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	gorilla	gorilla	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	largest	large	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	6	amod	_	_
6	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	ape	ape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
11	very	very	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
14	mostly	mostly	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
15	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
17	with	with	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	fur	fur	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	_
20	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	21	nsubj	_	_
21	lives	live	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	acl:relcl	_	_
22	in	in	ADP	IN	_	24	case	_	_
23	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
24	forests	forest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	21	obl	_	_
25	of	of	ADP	IN	_	27	case	_	_
26	central	central	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	27	amod	_	_
27	Africa	Africa	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	24	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a gorilla | the largest kind and a strong gentle animal with dark fur |  |  |  | of ape | tree rules |
| 2 | **live** | present | dark fur |  |  | the forests of central Africa |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in forest=Location |

<!-- .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 -->
Informally, a gorilla can mean a big, rough, frightening man (not kind to say).

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:m2:1
# text = Informally, a gorilla can mean a big, rough, frightening man (not kind to say).
1	Informally	informally	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	gorilla	gorilla	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
8	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
10	rough	rough	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
12	frightening	frightening	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
14	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	16	advmod	_	_
16	kind	kind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	parataxis	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | can | a gorilla | a big rough frightening man |  |  |  | informally *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent man=Topic |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | a gorilla *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The gorilla sat quietly eating leaves.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x1:1
# text = The gorilla sat quietly eating leaves.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	gorilla	gorilla	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sat	sit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	quietly	quietly	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	eating	eat	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
6	leaves	leaf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit** | past | the gorilla |  |  |  |  | quietly *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **eat** | gerund | the gorilla *not said here* | leaves |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent leaf=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A male gorilla can weigh more than two grown men.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x2:1
# text = A male gorilla can weigh more than two grown men.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	male	male	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	gorilla	gorilla	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	weigh	weigh	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp|ExtPos=ADV	8	advmod	_	_
7	than	than	ADP	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
9	grown	grow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	men	man	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **weigh** | can | a male gorilla | two grown men |  |  |  |  | vn register-54.1-2-1 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme man=Value |
| 2 | **grow** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We watched the gorillas at the zoo.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x3:1
# text = We watched the gorillas at the zoo.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	watched	watch	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	gorillas	gorilla	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	zoo	zoo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **watch** | past | We | the gorillas |  | the zoo |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent gorilla=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gorillas beat their chests to show strength or to warn others.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x4:1
# text = Gorillas beat their chests to show strength or to warn others.
1	Gorillas	gorilla	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	beat	beat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	chests	chest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
7	strength	strength	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	warn	warn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	_
11	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **beat** | present | Gorillas | Gorillas's chests |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location chest=Theme |
| 2 | **show** | to-infinitive | Gorillas *not said here* | strength |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent strength=Recipient |
| 3 | **warn** *speech: warn* | to-infinitive | Gorillas *not said here* | others |  |  |  |  | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent other=Recipient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mountain gorillas are endangered and need protection.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x5:1
# text = Mountain gorillas are endangered and need protection.
1	Mountain	mountain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	gorillas	gorilla	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	endangered	endangered	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
7	protection	protection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Mountain gorillas |  |  |  |  | endangered *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **need** | present | Mountain gorillas *not said here* | protection |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot protection=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The baby gorilla clung to its mother's back.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x6:1
# text = The baby gorilla clung to its mother's back.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	gorilla	gorilla	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	clung	cling	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	mother	mother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	back	back	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cling** | participle |  | the baby gorilla *not said here* |  |  |  | to gorilla's mother's back | vn cling-22.5 «NP V PP.co-theme»: agent=Theme to back=Co-Theme |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gorillas are apes, not monkeys, because they have no tail.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x7:1
# text = Gorillas are apes, not monkeys, because they have no tail.
1	Gorillas	gorilla	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	apes	ape	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	monkeys	monkey	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
9	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
11	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	12	det	_	_
12	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Gorillas | apes and monkeys |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | present | Gorillas *= gorilla* | no tail |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tail=Patient |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
People who hunt gorillas are breaking the law.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x8:1
# text = People who hunt gorillas are breaking the law.
1	People	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
2	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	hunt	hunt	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
4	gorillas	gorilla	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	breaking	break	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hunt** | present | People | gorillas |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent gorilla=Theme |
| 2 | **break** | present · progressive | People | the law |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer law=Patient |

## Example 9 {#x9}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Judge was a Monkey, a large Gorilla venerable with age.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:gorilla:x9:1
# text = The Judge was a Monkey, a large Gorilla venerable with age.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Judge	judge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Monkey	monkey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	large	large	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	Gorilla	Gorilla	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	venerable	venerable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	_
11	with	with	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the Judge | a Monkey |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | a large Gorilla |  |  |  | with age |  | tree rules |

<!-- 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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