---
title: misdirection — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «misdirection» in the school dictionary: Making people look at or think about the wrong thing so they don't notice what is really happening, used by magicians and tricksters. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# misdirection

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Making people, people, he, other hand, Mystery stories, email · **What happens:** make, look, think, not notice, happen, use · **To what, where:** someone, wrong instructions, coin, trick, misdirection, readers · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Making people look at or think about the wrong thing so they don't notice what is really happening, used by magicians and tricksters.

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:m1:1
# text = Making people look at or think about the wrong thing so they don't notice what is really happening, used by magicians and tricksters.
1	Making	make	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	amod	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	look	look	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	think	think	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
7	about	about	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	so	so	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
12	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
13	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
15	notice	notice	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	_
16	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	19	nsubj	_	_
17	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	aux	_	_
18	really	really	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
19	happening	happen	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	15	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
21	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	19	conj	_	_
22	by	by	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
23	magicians	magician	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	21	obl	_	_
24	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	25	cc	_	_
25	tricksters	trickster	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	23	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 2 | **look** | present | Making people |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **think** *speech: other* | infinitive | Making people *not said here* |  |  |  |  | about the wrong thing | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about thing=Topic |
| 4 | **not** **notice** | present · do-support | people |  |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 5 | **happen** | present · progressive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 6 | **use** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | by magicians and tricksters | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 -->
Sending someone the wrong way or giving wrong instructions.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:m2:1
# text = Sending someone the wrong way or giving wrong instructions.
1	Sending	send	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obj	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl:unmarked	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	giving	give	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
8	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	instructions	instruction	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | gerund |  | someone |  |  |  | the wrong way *obl:unmarked* | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent someone=Theme |
| 2 | **give** | gerund |  | wrong instructions |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent instruction=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The magician used misdirection to hide the coin.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:x1:1
# text = The magician used misdirection to hide the coin.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	magician	magician	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	amod	_	_
4	misdirection	misdirection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	hide	hide	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	coin	coin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **hide** | to-infinitive |  | the coin |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent coin=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
While he talked, his other hand did the trick – that's misdirection.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:x2:1
# text = While he talked, his other hand did the trick – that's misdirection.
1	While	while	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	talked	talk	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
6	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	trick	trick	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	–	-	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
12	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	14	det	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	misdirection	misdirection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **talk** | past | he |  |  |  |  |  | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **do** | past | his other hand | the trick |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent trick=Eventuality |
| 3 | **is a** | present | his other hand *not said here* | that misdirection |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mystery stories use misdirection to surprise readers.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:x3:1
# text = Mystery stories use misdirection to surprise readers.
1	Mystery	mystery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	stories	story	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	use	use	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	misdirection	misdirection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	surprise	surprise	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
7	readers	reader	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | Mystery stories | misdirection |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent misdirection=Patient |
| 2 | **surprise** | to-infinitive | Mystery stories *not said here* | readers |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus reader=Experiencer |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The scammer's email used misdirection to get people to click.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:x4:1
# text = The scammer's email used misdirection to get people to click.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	scammer	scammer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	email	email	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	used	use	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	misdirection	misdirection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	advcl	_	_
9	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	click	click	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | past | the scammer's email | misdirection |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent misdirection=Patient |
| 2 | **get** | to-infinitive | the scammer's email *not said here* | people |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **click** | to-infinitive | people *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **email** |  | the scammer |  |  |  |  |  | nom email «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pickpockets use misdirection to steal wallets.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:x5:1
# text = Pickpockets use misdirection to steal wallets.
1	Pickpockets	pickpocket	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	use	use	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	misdirection	misdirection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	steal	steal	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
6	wallets	wallet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | Pickpockets | misdirection |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent misdirection=Patient |
| 2 | **steal** | to-infinitive | Pickpockets *not said here* | wallets |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location wallet=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A wrong road sign caused a lot of misdirection.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:misdirection:x6:1
# text = A wrong road sign caused a lot of misdirection.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	caused	cause	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	lot	lot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	misdirection	misdirection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cause** | past | a wrong road sign | a lot of misdirection |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition lot=Patient |

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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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