---
title: mockery — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «mockery» in the school dictionary: Laughing at someone or something in an unkind way; teasing. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# mockery

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Laughing, it, trial, you, something, new boy · **What happens:** laugh, tease, seem, be, copy, make · **To what, where:** someone, silly copy, mockery, real thing, something, much

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Laughing at someone or something in an unkind way; teasing.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:m1:1
# text = Laughing at someone or something in an unkind way; teasing.
1	Laughing	laugh	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	11	csubj	_	_
2	at	at	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obl	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	conj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	unkind	unkind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	teasing	tease	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **laugh** | gerund |  |  |  | someone |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **tease** | gerund | Laughing |  |  |  |  |  | vn ferret-35.6 «NP V NP»: 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 -->
Something so bad or unfair that it seems a silly copy of the real thing: the trial was a mockery of justice.

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:m2:1
# text = Something so bad or unfair that it seems a silly copy of the real thing: the trial was a mockery of justice.
1	Something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	_
2	so	so	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	amod	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	unfair	unfair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
6	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	seems	seem	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	silly	silly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	copy	copy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	21	punct	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	trial	trial	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nsubj	_	_
19	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	21	cop	_	_
20	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
22	of	of	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
23	justice	justice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seem** | present | it | a silly copy of the real thing |  |  |  |  | vn seem-109-1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme copy=Attribute |
| 2 | **is a** | past | the trial | a mockery |  |  |  | of justice | tree rules |
| 3 | **copy** |  |  | the real thing |  |  |  |  | nom copy «communication transitive»: of=patient |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
make a mockery of: to make something seem stupid or pointless.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:m3:1
# text = make a mockery of: to make something seem stupid or pointless.
1	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
8	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	obj	_	_
9	seem	seem	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	stupid	stupid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	pointless	pointless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | imperative | you *not said here* | a mockery |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset mockery=Product |
| 2 | **make** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | something |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **seem** | infinitive | something *not said here* |  |  |  |  | stupid *property* | vn seem-109-1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The new boy faced mockery because of his accent.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:x1:1
# text = The new boy faced mockery because of his accent.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	faced	face	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
6	because	because	ADP	IN	ExtPos=ADP	9	case	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	accent	accent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **face** | past | the new boy | mockery |  |  |  | because boy's accent | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent mockery=Destination |
| 2 | **accent** |  | boy |  |  |  |  |  | nom accent «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mockery can hurt as much as hitting.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:x2:1
# text = Mockery can hurt as much as hitting.
1	Mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	hurt	hurt	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	as	as	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	much	much	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	obj	_	_
6	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	hitting	hit	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hurt** | can | Mockery | much |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer much=Patient |
| 2 | **hit** | gerund | Mockery *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cheating makes a mockery of the game.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:x3:1
# text = Cheating makes a mockery of the game.
1	Cheating	cheating	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	game	game	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | Cheating | a mockery of the game |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset mockery=Product |
| 2 | **mock** |  |  | the game |  |  |  |  | nom mockery «communication transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The badly run election was a mockery.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:x4:1
# text = The badly run election was a mockery.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	badly	badly	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	3	advmod	_	_
3	run	run	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	election	election	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the run election | a mockery |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She ignored their mockery and kept dancing.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:x5:1
# text = She ignored their mockery and kept dancing.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	ignored	ignore	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	kept	keep	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
7	dancing	dance	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ignore** | past | She | their mockery |  |  |  |  | vn neglect-75.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mockery=Theme |
| 2 | **keep** | past | She *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **dance** | gerund | She *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **mock** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom mockery «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His laugh was full of mockery.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:x6:1
# text = His laugh was full of mockery.
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	laugh	laugh	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	full	full	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | His laugh |  |  |  |  | of mockery; full *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **laugh** |  | His *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom laugh «communication intransitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The rules are a mockery if nobody follows them.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:mockery:x7:1
# text = The rules are a mockery if nobody follows them.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	mockery	mockery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	8	nsubj	_	_
8	follows	follow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl	_	_
9	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the rules | a mockery |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **follow** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | nobody | rules *= rule* |  |  |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=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.

<!-- /div -->

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