---
title: neutral — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «neutral» in the school dictionary: Not taking any side in an argument, game or war. 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/N/neutral/)

<!-- 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/) / [N](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/) / neutral

# neutral

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** referee, Pure water, Switzerland, She, you, face · **What happens:** not take, have, not connect, show, be, stay · **To what, where:** side, argument, electric charge, engine, strong feeling, war · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«neutral» in the school dictionary: its 6 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: [neutral in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/neutral.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Not taking any side in an argument, game or war.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:m1:1
# text = Not taking any side in an argument, game or war.
1	Not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	2	advmod	_	_
2	taking	take	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	4	det	_	_
4	side	side	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	argument	argument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	game	game	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	war	war	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **take** | gerund |  | any side |  | a argument and game or war |  |  | vn fit-54.3 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent side=Value in argument=Location |

<!-- .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}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Neither acid nor alkali (pH 7, like pure water).

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:m2:1
# text = Neither acid nor alkali (pH 7, like pure water).
1	Neither	neither	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	2	det	_	_
2	acid	acid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	nor	nor	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	4	cc	_	_
4	alkali	alkali	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
5	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	pH	ph	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	appos	_	_
7	7	7	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	6	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	pure	pure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Having no electric charge.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:m3:1
# text = Having no electric charge.
1	Having	have	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
3	electric	electric	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	charge	charge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | gerund |  | no electric charge |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent charge=Patient |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Of colour: not bright; beige, grey, cream.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:m4:1
# text = Of colour: not bright; beige, grey, cream.
1	Of	of	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	5	punct	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	bright	bright	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	beige	beige	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	grey	grey	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	cream	cream	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## Meaning 5 {#m5}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The gear position in a car where the engine is not connected to the wheels.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:m5:1
# text = The gear position in a car where the engine is not connected to the wheels.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	gear	gear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	position	position	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	car	car	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	12	advmod	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	engine	engine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	connected	connect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl:relcl	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	wheels	wheel	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **connect** | present · passive |  | the engine |  |  |  | to the wheels | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V NP PP.co-patient»: subject=Patient to wheel=Co-Patient |

## Meaning 6 {#m6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Showing no strong feeling (a neutral face).

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:m6:1
# text = Showing no strong feeling (a neutral face).
1	Showing	show	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
3	strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	feeling	feeling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	face	face	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | gerund |  | no strong feeling |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent feeling=Recipient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The referee must be neutral.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:x1:1
# text = The referee must be neutral.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	referee	referee	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	cop	_	_
5	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | must | the referee |  |  |  |  | neutral *property* | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pure water is neutral, neither acid nor alkali.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:x2:1
# text = Pure water is neutral, neither acid nor alkali.
1	Pure	pure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	neither	neither	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	7	cc:preconj	_	_
7	acid	acid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	appos	_	_
8	nor	nor	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	9	cc	_	_
9	alkali	alkali	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

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

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Switzerland stayed neutral in the war.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:x3:1
# text = Switzerland stayed neutral in the war.
1	Switzerland	Switzerland	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	stayed	stay	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	war	war	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stay** | past | Switzerland |  |  | the war |  | neutral *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in war=Location |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She painted the walls a neutral beige.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:x4:1
# text = She painted the walls a neutral beige.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	painted	paint	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	walls	wall	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	beige	beige	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **paint** | past | She | the walls |  |  |  |  | vn coloring-24 «NP V NP ADJP»: agent=Agent wall=Patient beige=Result |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Put the car in neutral before starting.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:x5:1
# text = Put the car in neutral before starting.
1	Put	put	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	car	car	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	obl	_	_
6	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	starting	start	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **put** | imperative | you *not said here* | the car |  | neutral |  |  | vn put-9.1-2 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent car=Theme in neutral=Destination |
| 2 | **start** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His face was neutral, so I could not tell if he was cross.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:x6:1
# text = His face was neutral, so I could not tell if he was cross.
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	face	face	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
6	so	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
7	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
8	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
11	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
12	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
13	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	cross	cross	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | His face |  |  |  |  | neutral *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **tell** *speech: assert* | could | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** *a condition, not said to happen* | past | he |  |  |  |  | cross *property* | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The final was played at a neutral ground.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:neutral:x7:1
# text = The final was played at a neutral ground.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	final	final	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	played	play	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	neutral	neutral	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	ground	ground	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **play** | past · passive |  | the final |  | a neutral ground |  |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

<!-- 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: [neutered](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neutered/)
- next →: [neutralisation](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/neutralisation/)
- ↑ back to [N in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/)