---
title: mirage — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «mirage» in the school dictionary: A mirage is something you seem to see that is not really there, caused by hot air bending light, like a pool of water on a hot road or in a desert. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# mirage

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** mirage, you, that, hot air, hope, we · **What happens:** be, seem, see, not be, cause, bend · **To what, where:** something, light, hope, mirage, hot road, hot air · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«mirage» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 8 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: [mirage in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mirage.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A mirage is something you seem to see that is not really there, caused by hot air bending light, like a pool of water on a hot road or in a desert.

<!-- fold The tree, 32 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:m1:1
# text = A mirage is something you seem to see that is not really there, caused by hot air bending light, like a pool of water on a hot road or in a desert.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	mirage	mirage	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	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	seem	seem	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	see	see	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	13	nsubj	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
12	really	really	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
13	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	8	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
15	caused	cause	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
18	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
19	bending	bend	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	18	acl	_	_
20	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
22	like	like	ADP	IN	_	24	case	_	_
23	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
24	pool	pool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	obl	_	_
25	of	of	ADP	IN	_	26	case	_	_
26	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	nmod	_	_
27	on	on	ADP	IN	_	30	case	_	_
28	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	30	det	_	_
29	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	30	amod	_	_
30	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	nmod	_	_
31	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	34	cc	_	_
32	in	in	ADP	IN	_	34	case	_	_
33	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	34	det	_	_
34	desert	desert	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	30	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
35	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a mirage | something |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **seem** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn seem-109-1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Theme clause=Attribute |
| 3 | **see** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 4 | **not** **is** | present | that |  |  |  |  | there *property* | tree rules |
| 5 | **cause** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | by hot air | vn result-27.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Precondition |
| 6 | **bend** | gerund | hot air *not said here* | light |  |  |  | like a pool of water on a hot road or a desert | vn knead-26.5 «NP V NP.material»: agent=Agent light=Material |

<!-- .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 mirage is a hope or idea that seems real but is not.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:m2:1
# text = A mirage is a hope or idea that seems real but is not.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	hope	hope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
8	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	seems	seem	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
10	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
13	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a mirage | a hope or idea |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **seem** | present | a hope or idea |  |  |  |  | real *property* | vn seem-109-1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
On the hot road ahead, we saw a mirage that looked like water.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x1:1
# text = On the hot road ahead, we saw a mirage that looked like water.
1	On	on	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
5	ahead	ahead	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
7	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	saw	see	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
12	looked	look	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	acl:relcl	_	_
13	like	like	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | past | we | a mirage |  | the hot road |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer mirage=Stimulus |
| 2 | **look** | past | a mirage |  |  |  |  | like water | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The thirsty explorer saw a mirage of an oasis.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x2:1
# text = The thirsty explorer saw a mirage of an oasis.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	thirsty	thirsty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	explorer	explorer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	saw	see	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	oasis	oasis	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | past | the thirsty explorer | a mirage of a oasis |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer mirage=Stimulus |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A mirage is caused by light bending in hot air.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x3:1
# text = A mirage is caused by light bending in hot air.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	caused	cause	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	light	light	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	bending	bend	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	acl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	hot	hot	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	air	air	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cause** | present · passive | light | a mirage |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition subject=Patient |
| 2 | **bend** | gerund | light *not said here* |  |  | hot air |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent in air=Location |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
As we got closer, the mirage disappeared.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x4:1
# text = As we got closer, the mirage disappeared.
1	As	as	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
4	closer	close	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	disappeared	disappear	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | past | we |  |  |  |  | close *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **disappear** | past | the mirage |  |  |  |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sailors sometimes see ships floating in the sky — a kind of mirage.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x5:1
# text = Sailors sometimes see ships floating in the sky — a kind of mirage.
1	Sailors	sailor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	sometimes	sometimes	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	3	advmod	_	_
3	see	see	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	ships	ship	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	floating	float	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	sky	sky	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	—	-	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | present | Sailors | ships |  |  |  | sometimes *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer ship=Stimulus |
| 2 | **float** | gerund | ships *not said here* |  |  | the sky |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in sky=Trajectory |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His hope of winning turned out to be a mirage.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x6:1
# text = His hope of winning turned out to be a mirage.
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	hope	hope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	winning	win	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	turned	turn	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
6	out	out	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
8	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	cop	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **turn out** | gerund · passive |  | His hope *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V» |
| 2 | **is a** | to-infinitive |  | a mirage |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **hope** |  | His *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom hope «feeling intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mirages are common in deserts.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x7:1
# text = Mirages are common in deserts.
1	Mirages	mirage	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	common	common	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	deserts	desert	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Mirages |  |  | deserts |  | common *property* | tree rules |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You can photograph a mirage — it's not just in your head.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mirage:x8:1
# text = You can photograph a mirage — it's not just in your head.
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	photograph	photograph	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	mirage	mirage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	—	-	PUNCT	:	_	13	punct	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
10	just	just	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **photograph** | can | You | a mirage |  |  |  |  | vn transcribe-25.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mirage=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **is** | present | mirage |  |  | your head |  |  | 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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