---
title: indicator — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «indicator» in the school dictionary: An indicator is something that shows or points to what is happening or what is true, like a sign or measurement. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicator/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/) / [school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/) / [I](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/) / indicator

# indicator

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** indicator, flashing light, vehicle, substance, something, Litmus paper · **What happens:** be, show, point, happen, flash, turn · **To what, where:** something, flashing light, car, way, signal, substance · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An indicator is something that shows or points to what is happening or what is true, like a sign or measurement.

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:m1:1
# text = An indicator is something that shows or points to what is happening or what is true, like a sign or measurement.
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	shows	show	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	points	point	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
9	to	to	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
10	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	12	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	happening	happen	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	ccomp	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
14	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	16	nsubj	_	_
15	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
16	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
18	like	like	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
19	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
21	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
22	measurement	measurement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a indicator | something |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **show** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **point** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **happen** | present · progressive |  |  |  |  |  | like a sign or measurement | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | true *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
On a car or bike, an indicator is a flashing light that shows which way the vehicle will turn (a «blinker» or «turn signal» in the US).

<!-- fold The tree, 27 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:m2:1
# text = On a car or bike, an indicator is a flashing light that shows which way the vehicle will turn (a «blinker» or «turn signal» in the US).
1	On	on	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	car	car	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	bike	bike	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	flashing	flash	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	12	amod	_	_
12	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
13	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	nsubj	_	_
14	shows	show	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	acl:relcl	_	_
15	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	16	det	_	_
16	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	vehicle	vehicle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nsubj	_	_
19	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	20	aux	_	_
20	turn	turn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	acl:relcl	_	_
21	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	24	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
23	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	24	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	blinker	blinker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	24	punct	_	_
26	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	28	cc	_	_
27	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	28	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	turn	turn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	conj	_	_
29	signal	signal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
30	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	29	punct	_	_
31	in	in	ADP	IN	_	33	case	_	_
32	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	33	det	_	_
33	US	US	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	28	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
34	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
35	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **flash** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | present | a indicator | a flashing light |  | a car or bike |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **show** | present | a flashing light | which way |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S»: agent=Agent way=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 4 | **turn** | future | the vehicle | which way *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V ADJ.result»: agent=Theme way=Result |
| 5 | **turn** *in a quote* | infinitive | a flashing light *not said here* | signal |  |  |  | in the US | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP PP.recipient PP.theme»: agent=Agent signal=Patient in us=Topic |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In science, an indicator is a substance that changes colour to show whether something is an acid or an alkali.

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:m3:1
# text = In science, an indicator is a substance that changes colour to show whether something is an acid or an alkali.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	science	science	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	substance	substance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
10	changes	change	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	acl:relcl	_	_
11	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	advcl	_	_
14	whether	whether	SCONJ	IN	_	18	mark	_	_
15	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	18	nsubj	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
17	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	acid	acid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	ccomp	_	_
19	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	21	cc	_	_
20	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	alkali	alkali	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a indicator | a substance |  | science |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **change** | present | a substance | colour |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent colour=Patient |
| 3 | **show** | to-infinitive | a substance *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **is a** | present | something | a acid or a alkali |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Litmus paper is an indicator that turns red in acid.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:x1:1
# text = Litmus paper is an indicator that turns red in acid.
1	Litmus	litmus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	paper	paper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	turns	turn	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	xcomp	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	acid	acid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Litmus paper | a indicator |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **turn** | present | a indicator |  |  | acid |  | red *property* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V PP.trajectory»: agent=Theme in acid=Trajectory |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Red cabbage juice is an indicator: it changes colour in vinegar.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:x2:1
# text = Red cabbage juice is an indicator: it changes colour in vinegar.
1	Red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
2	cabbage	cabbage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	juice	juice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	changes	change	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
10	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	vinegar	vinegar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Red cabbage juice | a indicator |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **change** | present | juice | colour |  | vinegar |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent colour=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The car's left indicator was flashing.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:x3:1
# text = The car's left indicator was flashing.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	car	car	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	left	left	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	flashing	flash	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **flash** | past · progressive | the car's left indicator |  |  |  |  |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **indicate** |  |  | the car |  |  |  |  | nom indicator «communication transitive»: poss=patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dad put his indicator on before turning right.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:x4:1
# text = Dad put his indicator on before turning right.
1	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	put	put	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	on	on	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	turning	turn	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
8	right	right	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **put** | past | Dad | Dad's indicator |  |  |  |  | vn invest-13.5.4-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent indicator=Goal |
| 2 | **turn** | gerund | Dad *not said here* |  |  |  |  | right *property* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **indicate** |  | Dad |  |  |  |  |  | nom indicator «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dark clouds are an indicator of rain.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:x5:1
# text = Dark clouds are an indicator of rain.
1	Dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	clouds	cloud	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Dark clouds | a indicator |  |  |  | of rain | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fuel indicator showed the tank was nearly empty.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:indicator:x6:1
# text = The fuel indicator showed the tank was nearly empty.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	fuel	fuel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	indicator	indicator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	showed	show	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	tank	tank	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	nearly	nearly	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	empty	empty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | past | the fuel indicator |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | past | the tank |  |  |  |  | empty, nearly *property* | 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [indicative](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indicative/)
- next →: [indifference](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indifference/)
- ↑ back to [I in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/)