---
title: necessity — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «necessity» in the school dictionary: Something that you need and cannot do without: water is a necessity. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# necessity

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** you, Something, forces, basic things, Food, coat · **What happens:** need, not do, be, do, live, walk · **To what, where:** necessity, fact, situation, basic things, basic necessities, phone

<!-- .vabout -->
«necessity» in the school dictionary: its 4 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: [necessity in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/necessity.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Something that you need and cannot do without: water is a necessity.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:m1:1
# text = Something that you need and cannot do without: water is a necessity.
1	Something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	14	nsubj	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	4	obj	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
6	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
9	without	without	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
11	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot that=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **do** | can | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | without water | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** | present | Something | a necessity |  |  |  |  | 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 -->
The fact of being needed: the necessity of sleep.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:m2:1
# text = The fact of being needed: the necessity of sleep.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fact	fact	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	needed	need	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	sleep	sleep	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | gerund · passive |  | the fact and the necessity of sleep *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF» |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: formal — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A situation that forces you to do something: out of necessity.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:m3:1
# text = A situation that forces you to do something: out of necessity.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	situation	situation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	7	obj	_	_
4	forces	force	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
5	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl:relcl	_	_
8	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
10	out	out	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | to-infinitive | forces | a situation |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent that=Eventuality |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
necessities (plural): the basic things needed to live, such as food and shelter.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:m4:1
# text = necessities (plural): the basic things needed to live, such as food and shelter.
1	necessities	necessity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
2	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	plural	plural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	basic	basic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	conj	_	_
9	needed	need	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	live	live	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
13	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	15	case	_	_
14	as	as	ADP	IN	_	13	fixed	_	_
15	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	appos	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
17	shelter	shelter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | participle |  | the basic things *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **live** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the basic things *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Food, water and shelter are basic necessities.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x1:1
# text = Food, water and shelter are basic necessities.
1	Food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
3	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	shelter	shelter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
6	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	basic	basic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	necessities	necessity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Food and water and shelter | basic necessities |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A coat is a necessity in a Canadian winter.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x2:1
# text = A coat is a necessity in a Canadian winter.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	coat	coat	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	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	Canadian	Canadian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	winter	winter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a coat | a necessity |  |  | winter |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Is a phone a necessity or a luxury?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x3:1
# text = Is a phone a necessity or a luxury?
1	Is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	phone	phone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	appos	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	luxury	luxury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They walked to school out of necessity because the bus broke down.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x4:1
# text = They walked to school out of necessity because the bus broke down.
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	walked	walk	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
5	out	out	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	bus	bus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	broke	break	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
12	down	down	ADP	RP	_	11	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **walk** | past | They |  |  | necessity |  | to school *result* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.result»: agent=Theme to school=Result |
| 2 | **break down** | past | the bus |  |  |  |  |  | vn break-45.1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Necessity is the mother of invention.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x5:1
# text = Necessity is the mother of invention.
1	Necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	mother	mother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	invention	invention	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Necessity | the mother |  |  |  | of invention | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sleep is a necessity, not a choice.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x6:1
# text = Sleep is a necessity, not a choice.
1	Sleep	sleep	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	choice	choice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Sleep | a necessity and a choice |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We packed only the necessities for camping.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x7:1
# text = We packed only the necessities for camping.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	packed	pack	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	necessities	necessity	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	camping	camping	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pack** | past | We | the necessities |  |  |  | for camping | vn spray-9.7-1-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:necessity:x8:1
# text = I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	mind	mind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obj	_	_
10	out	out	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	necessity	necessity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make up** | past | I | my mind |  |  |  |  | vn comprise-107.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme mind=Pivot |
| 2 | **do** | to-infinitive | I *not said here* | mind |  | necessity |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |
| 3 | **mind** |  | my |  |  |  |  |  | nom mind «cognition transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- 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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