---
title: handkerchief — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «handkerchief» in the school dictionary: A small square of cloth (or paper) you carry in your pocket to wipe your nose, eyes or face. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# handkerchief

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** small square, you, Grandma, Walrus, She, train · **What happens:** carry, wipe, wear, use, sneeze, have · **To what, where:** pocket, nose, square, neck, handkerchief, handkerchiefs

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A small square of cloth (or paper) you carry in your pocket to wipe your nose, eyes or face.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:m1:1
# text = A small square of cloth (or paper) you carry in your pocket to wipe your nose, eyes or face.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	square	square	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	cloth	cloth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
6	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	paper	paper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	8	punct	_	_
10	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	carry	carry	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	pocket	pocket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	16	mark	_	_
16	wipe	wipe	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	advcl	_	_
17	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	18	nmod:poss	_	_
18	nose	nose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
20	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	conj	_	_
21	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
22	face	face	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry** | present | a small square of cloth |  |  | your pocket |  |  | vn fit-54.3 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent in pocket=Location |
| 2 | **wipe** | to-infinitive | a small square of cloth *not said here* | your nose and eyes or face |  |  |  |  | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.source»: agent=Agent nose=Source |

<!-- .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 square of cloth worn around the neck or head, like a scarf.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:m2:1
# text = A square of cloth worn around the neck or head, like a scarf.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	square	square	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	cloth	cloth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	worn	wear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	around	around	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	neck	neck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	like	like	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	scarf	scarf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wear** | participle · passive |  | a square of cloth |  | the neck or head |  | like a scarf | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.source»: subject=Source |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Use a handkerchief when you sneeze.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x1:1
# text = Use a handkerchief when you sneeze.
1	Use	use	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	handkerchief	handkerchief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
5	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	sneeze	sneeze	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | imperative | you *not said here* | a handkerchief |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent handkerchief=Patient |
| 2 | **sneeze** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn hiccup-40.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandma has handkerchiefs with her initials sewn in the corner.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x2:1
# text = Grandma has handkerchiefs with her initials sewn in the corner.
1	Grandma	grandma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	handkerchiefs	handkerchief	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	initials	initial	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
7	sewn	sew	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	corner	corner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | Grandma | handkerchiefs |  |  |  | with Grandma's initials | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent handkerchief=Patient |
| 2 | **sew** | participle |  | Grandma's initials *not said here* |  | the corner |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V PP.destination»: agent=Theme in corner=Destination |
| 3 | **initial** |  | Grandma |  |  |  |  |  | nom initial «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Walrus held his pocket-handkerchief before his streaming eyes.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x3:1
# text = The Walrus held his pocket-handkerchief before his streaming eyes.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Walrus	Walrus	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	held	hold	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
5	pocket	pocket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	handkerchief	handkerchief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
8	before	before	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
10	streaming	streaming	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | past | the Walrus | Walrus's pocket handkerchief |  | Walrus's streaming eyes |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent handkerchief=Theme before eye=Location |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She waved her handkerchief as the train left.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x4:1
# text = She waved her handkerchief as the train left.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	waved	wave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	handkerchief	handkerchief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	train	train	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	left	leave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wave** | past | She | her handkerchief |  |  |  |  | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent handkerchief=Patient |
| 2 | **leave** | past | the train |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He wrapped the conkers in a handkerchief.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x5:1
# text = He wrapped the conkers in a handkerchief.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	wrapped	wrap	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	conkers	conker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	handkerchief	handkerchief	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 | **wrap** | past | He | the conkers |  | a handkerchief |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent conker=Theme in handkerchief=Destination |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Can I borrow a tissue? I forgot my handkerchief.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Can I borrow a tissue?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x6:1
# text = Can I borrow a tissue?
1	Can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
2	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	borrow	borrow	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	tissue	tissue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **borrow** | can | I | a tissue |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tissue=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* I forgot my handkerchief.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x6:2
# text = I forgot my handkerchief.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	forgot	forget	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	handkerchief	handkerchief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forget** | past | I | my handkerchief |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pirate wore a red handkerchief on his head.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:handkerchief:x7:1
# text = The pirate wore a red handkerchief on his head.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pirate	pirate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wore	wear	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	handkerchief	handkerchief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wear** | past | the pirate | a red handkerchief |  | pirate's head |  |  | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent handkerchief=Theme |

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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.

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