---
title: observer — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «observer» in the school dictionary: A person who watches something carefully, often to learn or to report. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# observer

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** person, good scientist, observer, Observers, twins, She · **What happens:** watch, learn, report, not take, notice, be · **To what, where:** something, event, meeting, part, things, careful observer

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A person who watches something carefully, often to learn or to report.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:m1:1
# text = A person who watches something carefully, often to learn or to report.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	watches	watch	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	4	obj	_	_
6	carefully	carefully	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	often	often	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	learn	learn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
11	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	report	report	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **watch** | present | a person | something |  |  |  | carefully *property* | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Theme |
| 2 | **learn** | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* |  |  |  |  | often *property* | vn learn-14-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **report** | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-2 «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 -->
A person who watches an event but does not take part, for example at a meeting or an election.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:m2:1
# text = A person who watches an event but does not take part, for example at a meeting or an election.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	watches	watch	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	take	take	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
11	part	part	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	example	example	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
15	at	at	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	meeting	meeting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
18	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
19	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	election	election	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **watch** | present | a person | a event |  | a meeting or a election |  | for example | vn search-35.2 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent event=Location for example=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **take** | present · do-support | a person *not said here* | part |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent part=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A person who notices things well: a good observer.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:m3:1
# text = A person who notices things well: a good observer.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	4	nsubj	_	_
4	notices	notice	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
5	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
6	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	10	punct	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	observer	observer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **notice** | present | a person and a good observer | things |  |  |  | well *property* | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer thing=Stimulus |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A good scientist is a careful observer.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:x1:1
# text = A good scientist is a careful observer.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	scientist	scientist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	careful	careful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	observer	observer	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** | present | a good scientist | a careful observer |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The observer wrote notes about the birds at the feeder.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:x2:1
# text = The observer wrote notes about the birds at the feeder.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	observer	observer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wrote	write	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	notes	note	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	about	about	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	birds	bird	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	feeder	feeder	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | past | the observer | notes |  | the feeder |  | about the birds | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent note=Recipient about bird=Topic |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Observers watched the vote to make sure it was fair.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:x3:1
# text = Observers watched the vote to make sure it was fair.
1	Observers	observer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	watched	watch	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	vote	vote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
7	sure	sure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	xcomp	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	expl	_	_
9	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	fair	fair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **watch** | past | Observers | the vote |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent vote=Theme |
| 2 | **make** | to-infinitive | Observers *not said here* |  |  |  |  | sure *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 3 | **is** | past | Observers *not said here* |  |  |  |  | fair *property* | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To a casual observer, the twins look the same.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:x4:1
# text = To a casual observer, the twins look the same.
1	To	to	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	casual	casual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	observer	observer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	twins	twin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	look	look	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look** | present | the twins | the same |  |  |  | to a casual observer | vn seem-109-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme same=Attribute |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She sat as an observer at the council meeting.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:x5:1
# text = She sat as an observer at the council meeting.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sat	sit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	as	as	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	observer	observer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	council	council	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	meeting	meeting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit** | past | She |  |  | the council meeting |  | as a observer | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent at meeting=Location |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The observer on the hill could see the whole race.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:observer:x6:1
# text = The observer on the hill could see the whole race.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	observer	observer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	hill	hill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	see	see	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	race	race	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | could | the observer on the hill | the whole race |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer race=Stimulus |

<!-- 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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