---
title: penny — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «penny» in the school dictionary: A penny is a coin. In the US and Canada a penny is 1 cent; in Britain a penny is 1p and 100 pence make 1 pound. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# penny

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** penny, 1 cent, He, many pennies, She, sweet · **What happens:** be, make, mean, drop, understand, have · **To what, where:** coin, 1 cent, 1 p, Britain, 1 pound, money · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«penny» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 9 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: [penny in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/penny.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A penny is a coin. In the US and Canada a penny is 1 cent; in Britain a penny is 1p and 100 pence make 1 pound.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A penny is a coin.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:m1:1
# text = A penny is a coin.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	penny	penny	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	coin	coin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* In the US and Canada a penny is 1 cent; in Britain a penny is 1p and 100 pence make 1 pound.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:m1:2
# text = In the US and Canada a penny is 1 cent; in Britain a penny is 1p and 100 pence make 1 pound.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	US	US	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	Canada	Canada	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
9	1	1	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	cent	cent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	18	punct	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	Britain	Britain	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
17	1	1	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	18	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	p	p	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
19	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	21	cc	_	_
20	100	100	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	21	nummod	_	_
21	pence	pence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	conj	_	_
22	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
23	1	1	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	24	nummod	_	_
24	pound	pound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	22	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a penny | 1 cent and 1 p and 100 pence |  |  |  | in the US and Canada | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | a penny | 1 p and 100 pence |  | Britain |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **make** | present | 1 cent and 1 p and 100 pence | 1 pound |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset pound=Product |

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Not a penny» means no money at all.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:m2:1
# text = «Not a penny» means no money at all.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	8	det	_	_
8	money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | a penny | no money |  | all |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent money=Topic |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«The penny dropped» means someone finally understood.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:m3:1
# text = «The penny dropped» means someone finally understood.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	dropped	drop	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	obj	_	_
8	finally	finally	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	understood	understand	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drop** *in a quote* | participle |  | the penny *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present | the penny | someone |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent someone=Topic |
| 3 | **understand** | past |  |  |  |  |  | finally *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He has 25 pennies.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x1:1
# text = He has 25 pennies.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	25	25	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
4	pennies	penny	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | He | 25 pennies |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent penny=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
How many pennies make a dime?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x2:1
# text = How many pennies make a dime?
1	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	2	advmod	_	_
2	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	pennies	penny	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	dime	dime	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | many pennies | a dime |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset dime=Product |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She saved 50 pennies.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x3:1
# text = She saved 50 pennies.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	saved	save	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	50	50	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
4	pennies	penny	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **save** | past | She | 50 pennies |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent penny=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Each sweet costs 5 pence.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x4:1
# text = Each sweet costs 5 pence.
1	Each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	sweet	sweet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	costs	cost	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	5	5	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	pence	pence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cost** | present | each sweet | 5 pence |  |  |  |  | vn cost-54.2 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme pence=Value |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A hundred pennies make one dollar.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x5:1
# text = A hundred pennies make one dollar.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	hundred	hundred	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	nummod	_	_
3	pennies	penny	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	dollar	dollar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | a hundred pennies | one dollar |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset dollar=Product |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He didn't have a penny left.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x6:1
# text = He didn't have a penny left.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	have	have	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	left	leave	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **have** | past · do-support | He | a penny |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **leave** | participle | a penny *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
After a minute, the penny dropped and she laughed.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x7:1
# text = After a minute, the penny dropped and she laughed.
1	After	after	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	minute	minute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	dropped	drop	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	laughed	laugh	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drop** | past | the penny |  |  |  | minute |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **laugh** | past | penny |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A penny for your thoughts?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x8:1
# text = A penny for your thoughts?
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	thoughts	thought	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **think** |  | your |  |  |  |  |  | nom thought «cognition transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 9 {#x9}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
But I have only fifty pennies.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:penny:x9:1
# text = But I have only fifty pennies.
1	But	but	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
2	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	fifty	fifty	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	pennies	penny	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | I | fifty pennies |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent penny=Patient |

<!-- 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 -->
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