---
title: hummingbird — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «hummingbird» in the school dictionary: A hummingbird is a very small, brightly coloured bird from the Americas that beats its wings so fast they hum, and that can hover in one place and even fly backwards. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# hummingbird

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**Who acts:** hummingbird, coloured bird, wings, that, Hummingbirds, bee hummingbird · **What happens:** be, beat, hum, hover, fly, drink · **To what, where:** wings, one place, hummingbird, red flower, nectar, smallest bird

<!-- .vabout -->
«hummingbird» in the school dictionary: its meaning for a pupil and its 6 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: [hummingbird in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/hummingbird.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A hummingbird is a very small, brightly coloured bird from the Americas that beats its wings so fast they hum, and that can hover in one place and even fly backwards.

<!-- fold The tree, 31 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:hummingbird:m1:1
# text = A hummingbird is a very small, brightly coloured bird from the Americas that beats its wings so fast they hum, and that can hover in one place and even fly backwards.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hummingbird	hummingbird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	very	very	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	brightly	brightly	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	coloured	coloured	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	Americas	AMERICAS	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
14	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	15	nsubj	_	_
15	beats	beat	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	acl:relcl	_	_
16	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	wings	wing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	_
18	so	so	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
19	fast	fast	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	15	advmod	_	_
20	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	21	nsubj	_	_
21	hum	hum	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	26	punct	_	_
23	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	26	cc	_	_
24	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	26	nsubj	_	_
25	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	26	aux	_	_
26	hover	hover	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	parataxis	_	_
27	in	in	ADP	IN	_	29	case	_	_
28	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	29	nummod	_	_
29	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	26	obl	_	_
30	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	32	cc	_	_
31	even	even	ADV	RB	_	32	advmod	_	_
32	fly	fly	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	26	conj	_	_
33	backwards	backwards	ADV	RB	_	32	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
34	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a hummingbird |  |  |  |  | coloured bird from the Americas *obl*; small *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **beat** | present | coloured bird from the Americas | hummingbird's wings |  |  |  | fast *property* | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location wing=Theme |
| 3 | **hum** | present | wings *= wing* |  |  |  |  |  | vn bulge-47.5.3 «NP V»: agent=Location |
| 4 | **hover** | can | that |  |  | one place |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in place=Location |
| 5 | **fly** | infinitive | that *not said here* |  |  |  |  | backwards *property* | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .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.

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A hummingbird hovered beside the red flower.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:hummingbird:x1:1
# text = A hummingbird hovered beside the red flower.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hummingbird	hummingbird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	hovered	hover	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	beside	beside	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	flower	flower	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hover** | participle |  | a hummingbird *not said here* |  | the red flower |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme beside flower=Location |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hummingbirds can fly backwards.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:hummingbird:x2:1
# text = Hummingbirds can fly backwards.
1	Hummingbirds	hummingbird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	fly	fly	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	backwards	backwards	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **fly** | can | Hummingbirds |  |  |  |  | backwards *property* | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The hummingbird drank nectar with its long tongue.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:hummingbird:x3:1
# text = The hummingbird drank nectar with its long tongue.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	hummingbird	hummingbird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	drank	drink	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	nectar	nectar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	tongue	tongue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drink** | past | the hummingbird | nectar |  |  |  | with hummingbird's long tongue | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nectar=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its wings beat so fast they looked like a blur.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:hummingbird:x4:1
# text = Its wings beat so fast they looked like a blur.
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	wings	wing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	beat	beat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	so	so	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	fast	fast	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	3	advmod	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	looked	look	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	blur	blur	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **beat** | present | Its wings |  |  |  |  | fast *property* | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **look** | past | wings *= wing* |  |  |  |  | like a blur | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The bee hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:hummingbird:x5:1
# text = The bee hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	bee	bee	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	hummingbird	hummingbird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	smallest	small	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	7	amod	_	_
7	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	world	world	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the bee hummingbird | the smallest bird |  | the world |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We hung a feeder with sugar water for the hummingbirds.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:hummingbird:x6:1
# text = We hung a feeder with sugar water for the hummingbirds.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	hung	hang	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	feeder	feeder	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	sugar	sugar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	hummingbirds	hummingbird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hang** | past | We | a feeder |  |  |  | with sugar water; for the hummingbirds | vn poison-42.2 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent feeder=Patient with water=Instrument |

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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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