---
title: placebo — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «placebo» in the school dictionary: A placebo is a fake medicine, such as a sugar pill, that has no medicine in it. 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/P/placebo/)

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

# placebo

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** placebo, that, someone, they, one group, group · **What happens:** be, have, feel, believe, treat, get · **To what, where:** fake medicine, medicine, placebo, placebo effect, they, real medicine · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A placebo is a fake medicine, such as a sugar pill, that has no medicine in it.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:m1:1
# text = A placebo is a fake medicine, such as a sugar pill, that has no medicine in it.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	fake	fake	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	12	case	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	8	fixed	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	sugar	sugar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	pill	pill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
14	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	15	nsubj	_	_
15	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	parataxis	_	_
16	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	17	det	_	_
17	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	_
18	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a placebo | a fake medicine and a sugar pill |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | present | that | no medicine |  | placebo |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent medicine=Patient |

<!-- .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 placebo effect is when someone feels better just because they believe they have been treated.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:m2:1
# text = The placebo effect is when someone feels better just because they believe they have been treated.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	effect	effect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
5	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	7	mark	_	_
6	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	nsubj	_	_
7	feels	feel	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
8	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	7	xcomp	_	_
9	just	just	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
12	believe	believe	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	advcl	_	_
13	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj:pass	_	_
14	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	_
15	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	16	aux:pass	_	_
16	treated	treat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | the placebo effect |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **feel** | present | someone |  |  |  |  | good *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |
| 3 | **believe** | present | they |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 4 | **treat** | present · perfect · passive |  | they |  |  |  |  | vn equip-13.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a science test of a medicine, one group gets the real medicine and another group gets a placebo, so scientists can compare.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:m3:1
# text = In a science test of a medicine, one group gets the real medicine and another group gets a placebo, so scientists can compare.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	science	science	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
9	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	gets	get	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
15	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	18	cc	_	_
16	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	17	det	_	_
17	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj	_	_
18	gets	get	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	conj	_	_
19	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	25	punct	_	_
22	so	so	ADV	RB	_	25	advmod	_	_
23	scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	25	nsubj	_	_
24	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	25	aux	_	_
25	compare	compare	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | present | one group | the real medicine |  | a science test of a medicine |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer medicine=Stimulus |
| 2 | **get** | present | another group | a placebo |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer placebo=Stimulus |
| 3 | **compare** | can | scientists |  |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-2 «NP V ADVP-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 4 | **test** |  |  | a medicine |  |  |  |  | nom test «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Half the volunteers got the new medicine and half got a placebo.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:x1:1
# text = Half the volunteers got the new medicine and half got a placebo.
1	Half	half	DET	PDT	NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac|PronType=Ind	3	det:predet	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	volunteers	volunteer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	half	half	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing|NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac	10	nsubj	_	_
10	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | past | half volunteers | the new medicine |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer medicine=Stimulus |
| 2 | **get** | past | half | a placebo |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer placebo=Stimulus |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The placebo was just a sugar pill.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:x2:1
# text = The placebo was just a sugar pill.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
4	just	just	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	sugar	sugar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	pill	pill	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** | past | the placebo | a sugar pill |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Some people felt better because of the placebo effect.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:x3:1
# text = Some people felt better because of the placebo effect.
1	Some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	2	det	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	felt	feel	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	xcomp	_	_
5	because	because	ADP	IN	ExtPos=ADP	9	case	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	fixed	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	effect	effect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **feel** | past | some people |  |  |  |  | because the placebo effect; good *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The scientists compared the medicine group with the placebo group.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:x4:1
# text = The scientists compared the medicine group with the placebo group.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	scientists	scientist	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	compared	compare	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	group	group	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 | **compare** | past | the scientists | the medicine group |  |  |  | with the placebo group | vn amalgamate-22.2-2 «NP V NP PP.co-patient»: agent=Agent group=Patient with group=Co-Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
If the medicine works no better than a placebo, it does not really work.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:x5:1
# text = If the medicine works no better than a placebo, it does not really work.
1	If	if	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	medicine	medicine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	works	work	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	advcl	_	_
5	no	no	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	4	xcomp	_	_
7	than	than	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
12	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
13	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
14	really	really	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	work	work	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	15	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **work** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | the medicine |  |  |  |  | good *property* | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **work** | present · do-support | medicine |  |  |  |  |  | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The lift's «close door» button might be a placebo that does nothing.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:x6:1
# text = The lift's «close door» button might be a placebo that does nothing.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	lift	lift	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	close	close	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	door	door	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
8	button	button	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
9	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	cop	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
13	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	nsubj	_	_
14	does	do	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	acl:relcl	_	_
15	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | might | the lift's door button | a placebo |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **do** | present | a placebo | nothing |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nothing=Eventuality |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Our class did a taste test where some drinks were a placebo.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:placebo:x7:1
# text = Our class did a taste test where some drinks were a placebo.
1	Our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	class	class	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	taste	taste	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	12	advmod	_	_
8	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	drinks	drink	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
10	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	placebo	placebo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | past | Our class | a taste test |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent test=Eventuality |
| 2 | **is a** | past | some drinks | a placebo |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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