---
title: orthography — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «orthography» in the school dictionary: Orthography is the system of spelling and writing a language: which letters stand for which sounds, and rules for capital letters, hyphens and punctuation. 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/O/orthography/)

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

# orthography

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Orthography, letters, English orthography, Spanish orthography, Noah Webster, Learning · **What happens:** be, write, stand, sound, have, use · **To what, where:** system, language, rules, correct spelling, many silent letters, Cyrillic alphabet · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Orthography is the system of spelling and writing a language: which letters stand for which sounds, and rules for capital letters, hyphens and punctuation.

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:m1:1
# text = Orthography is the system of spelling and writing a language: which letters stand for which sounds, and rules for capital letters, hyphens and punctuation.
1	Orthography	orthography	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	system	system	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	writing	write	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	conj	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
12	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	13	det	_	_
13	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nsubj	_	_
14	stand	stand	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
15	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
16	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	17	nsubj	_	_
17	sounds	sound	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
19	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
20	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obl	_	_
21	for	for	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
22	capital	capital	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	23	compound	_	_
23	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	20	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	25	punct	_	_
25	hyphens	hyphen	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	23	conj	_	_
26	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	27	cc	_	_
27	punctuation	punctuation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	23	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Orthography | the system |  |  |  | of spelling | tree rules |
| 2 | **write** | gerund | Orthography *not said here* | a language |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent language=Theme |
| 3 | **stand** | present | which letters | rules for capital letters and hyphens and punctuation |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **sound** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |

<!-- .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 -->
Orthography is correct spelling.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:m2:1
# text = Orthography is correct spelling.
1	Orthography	orthography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

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

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
English orthography has many silent letters, like the «k» in «knee».

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:x1:1
# text = English orthography has many silent letters, like the «k» in «knee».
1	English	English	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	orthography	orthography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	k	k	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	knee	knee	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | English orthography | many silent letters |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent letter=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spanish orthography is more regular than English.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:x2:1
# text = Spanish orthography is more regular than English.
1	Spanish	Spanish	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	orthography	orthography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	5	advmod	_	_
5	regular	regular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	than	than	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Spanish orthography |  |  |  |  | than English; regular *property* | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The orthography of Ukrainian uses the Cyrillic alphabet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:x3:1
# text = The orthography of Ukrainian uses the Cyrillic alphabet.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	orthography	orthography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Ukrainian	Ukrainian	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	uses	use	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	Cyrillic	cyrillic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	alphabet	alphabet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | the orthography of Ukrainian | the Cyrillic alphabet |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent alphabet=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Noah Webster changed American orthography, writing «color» instead of «colour».

<!-- fold The tree, 10 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:x4:1
# text = Noah Webster changed American orthography, writing «color» instead of «colour».
1	Noah	Noah	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	Webster	webster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	changed	change	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	American	American	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	orthography	orthography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	writing	write	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	color	color	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
11	instead	instead	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | past | Noah Webster | American orthography |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent orthography=Patient |
| 2 | **write** | gerund | Noah Webster *not said here* | color |  |  |  | of colour | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent color=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Learning orthography means learning the spelling rules.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:x5:1
# text = Learning orthography means learning the spelling rules.
1	Learning	learn	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	csubj	_	_
2	orthography	orthography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	learning	learn	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	xcomp	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **learn** | gerund |  | orthography |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent orthography=Topic |
| 2 | **mean** | present | Learning |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **learn** *not said to happen* | gerund | Learning *not said here* | the spelling rules |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rule=Topic |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Old books show a different orthography, like «olde shoppe».

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:orthography:x6:1
# text = Old books show a different orthography, like «olde shoppe».
1	Old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	books	book	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	show	show	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	different	different	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	orthography	orthography	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	olde	olde	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	shoppe	shoppe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | Old books | a different orthography |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent orthography=Recipient |

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