---
title: propensity — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «propensity» in the school dictionary: A natural habit of behaving in a certain way, a tendency: «a propensity to tell jokes», «a propensity for getting lost». Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# propensity

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** natural habit, propensity, dog, She, metals, made people · **What happens:** behave, tell, get, lose, have, chew · **To what, where:** certain way, jokes, propensity, socks, trouble, sunny spots · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A natural habit of behaving in a certain way, a tendency: «a propensity to tell jokes», «a propensity for getting lost».

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:propensity:m1:1
# text = A natural habit of behaving in a certain way, a tendency: «a propensity to tell jokes», «a propensity for getting lost».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	natural	natural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	habit	habit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	behaving	behave	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	certain	certain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	tendency	tendency	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	16	punct	_	_
14	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	acl	_	_
19	jokes	joke	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
22	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	24	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
24	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	conj	_	_
25	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	26	mark	_	_
26	getting	get	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	24	acl	_	_
27	lost	lose	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	26	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	27	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **behave** | gerund | a natural habit and a propensity and a propensity *not said here* |  |  | a certain way and a tendency |  |  | vn masquerade-29.6-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **tell** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | to-infinitive |  | jokes |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent joke=Recipient |
| 3 | **get** *in a quote* | gerund | a propensity *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 4 | **lose** *in a quote* | participle | a propensity *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V»: 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.

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
My dog has a propensity to chew socks.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:propensity:x1:1
# text = My dog has a propensity to chew socks.
1	My	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	chew	chew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	acl	_	_
8	socks	sock	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | My dog | a propensity |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent propensity=Patient |
| 2 | **chew** | to-infinitive | My dog *not said here* | socks |  |  |  |  | vn chew-39.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent sock=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She has a propensity for getting into trouble.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:propensity:x2:1
# text = She has a propensity for getting into trouble.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|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	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	getting	get	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
7	into	into	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	trouble	trouble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | She | a propensity |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent propensity=Patient |
| 2 | **get** | gerund | a propensity *not said here* |  |  | trouble |  |  | vn escape-51.1 «NP V PP.destination»: agent=Theme into trouble=Destination |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Some metals have a propensity to rust.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:propensity:x3:1
# text = Some metals have a propensity to rust.
1	Some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	2	det	_	_
2	metals	metal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	rust	rust	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | some metals | a propensity |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent propensity=Patient |
| 2 | **rust** | to-infinitive | some metals *not said here* | a propensity *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn entity\_specific\_cos-45.5 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His propensity to exaggerate made people doubt him.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:propensity:x4:1
# text = His propensity to exaggerate made people doubt him.
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	exaggerate	exaggerate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	amod	_	_
6	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	doubt	doubt	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
8	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exaggerate** | to-infinitive | His propensity |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **make** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 3 | **doubt** | present | made people | propensity |  |  |  |  | vn judgment-33.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cats have a propensity for sleeping in sunny spots.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:propensity:x5:1
# text = Cats have a propensity for sleeping in sunny spots.
1	Cats	cat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	sleeping	sleep	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	sunny	sunny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	spots	spot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | Cats | a propensity |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent propensity=Patient |
| 2 | **sleep** | gerund | Cats *not said here* |  |  | sunny spots |  |  | vn fit-54.3 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent in spot=Location |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
This rope has a propensity to tangle.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:propensity:x6:1
# text = This rope has a propensity to tangle.
1	This	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	det	_	_
2	rope	rope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	propensity	propensity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	tangle	tangle	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | this rope | a propensity |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent propensity=Patient |
| 2 | **tangle** | to-infinitive | this rope *not said here* | a propensity *not said here* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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**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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