---
title: handful — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «handful» in the school dictionary: The amount you can hold in one hand: «a handful of sweets». Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# handful

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** amount, small number, animal, puppy, She, you · **What happens:** hold, come, be, control, grab, add · **To what, where:** handful, one hand, meeting, real handful, birds, stars

<!-- .vabout -->
«handful» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 7 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: [handful in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/handful.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The amount you can hold in one hand: «a handful of sweets».

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:m1:1
# text = The amount you can hold in one hand: «a handful of sweets».
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	amount	amount	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	hold	hold	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	5	punct	_	_
10	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	sweets	sweet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | can | the amount | a handful of sweets |  | one hand |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in hand=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 -->
A small number of people or things: «Only a handful of children came».

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:m2:1
# text = A small number of people or things: «Only a handful of children came».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nmod	_	_
15	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	15	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** *in a quote* | past | a small number of people or things |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: informal, a handful — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A person or animal that is hard to control: «The puppy is a handful».

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:m3:1
# text = A person or animal that is hard to control: «The puppy is a handful».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	acl:relcl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	control	control	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	16	punct	_	_
11	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	puppy	puppy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | animal |  |  |  |  | hard *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **control** | to-infinitive | animal *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn enforce-63 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | the puppy | a handful |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She grabbed a handful of popcorn.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:x1:1
# text = She grabbed a handful of popcorn.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	grabbed	grab	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	popcorn	popcorn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **grab** | past | She | a handful of popcorn |  |  |  |  | vn steal-10.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent handful=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Add a handful of nuts to the salad.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:x2:1
# text = Add a handful of nuts to the salad.
1	Add	add	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	nuts	nut	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	salad	salad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **add** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* | a handful of nuts |  |  |  | to the salad | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP PP.co-patient»: agent=Agent handful=Patient to salad=Co-Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only a handful of people came to the meeting.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:x3:1
# text = Only a handful of people came to the meeting.
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
6	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	meeting	meeting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | a handful of people |  |  | the meeting |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to meeting=Initial\_Location |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Our new puppy is a real handful!

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:x4:1
# text = Our new puppy is a real handful!
1	Our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	puppy	puppy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Our new puppy | a real handful |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He threw a handful of seeds to the birds.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:x5:1
# text = He threw a handful of seeds to the birds.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	threw	throw	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	seeds	seed	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **throw** | past | He | a handful of seeds | the birds |  |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.destinations»: agent=Agent handful=Theme to bird=Destination |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A handful of stars shone through the clouds.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:x6:1
# text = A handful of stars shone through the clouds.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	stars	star	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	shone	shine	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
6	through	through	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	clouds	cloud	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shine** | participle |  | stars *not said here* |  | the clouds |  |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme through cloud=Location |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Twenty thousand Persian soldiers had fallen before that handful of men.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handful:x7:1
# text = Twenty thousand Persian soldiers had fallen before that handful of men.
1	Twenty	twenty	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	compound	_	_
2	thousand	thousand	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
3	Persian	persian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	soldiers	soldier	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	fallen	fall	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
7	before	before	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	9	det	_	_
9	handful	handful	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	men	man	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fall** | past · perfect | thousand Persian soldiers |  |  | that handful of men |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme before handful=Location |

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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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