---
title: prosecution — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «prosecution» in the school dictionary: Taking someone to court and charging them with a crime. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# prosecution

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** prosecution, lawyer, accused person, war, He, defence · **What happens:** take, charge, be, try, prove, accuse · **To what, where:** someone, court, them, lawyer, evidence, jury · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Taking someone to court and charging them with a crime.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:m1:1
# text = Taking someone to court and charging them with a crime.
1	Taking	take	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obj	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	court	court	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	charging	charge	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
7	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	crime	crime	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | gerund |  | someone |  | court |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent someone=Theme to court=Destination |
| 2 | **charge** | gerund |  | them *= they* |  |  |  | with a crime | vn equip-13.4.2 «NP V NP-Fulfilling PP»: agent=Agent they=Recipient with crime=Theme |

<!-- .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}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«The prosecution» is the lawyer or team trying to prove that the accused person is guilty.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:m2:1
# text = «The prosecution» is the lawyer or team trying to prove that the accused person is guilty.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	prosecution	prosecution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	lawyer	lawyer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	team	team	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
10	trying	try	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	prove	prove	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	xcomp	_	_
13	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	18	mark	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	accused	accuse	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	16	amod	_	_
16	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj	_	_
17	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
18	guilty	guilty	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the prosecution | the lawyer or team |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **try** | gerund | the lawyer or team *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **prove** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the lawyer or team *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **accuse** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn suspect-81 «NP V PP.theme S\_ING»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **is** | present | the accused person |  |  |  |  | guilty *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Carrying on with something, as in «the prosecution of a war».

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:m3:1
# text = Carrying on with something, as in «the prosecution of a war».
1	Carrying	carry	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	on	on	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
6	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	prosecution	prosecution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	war	war	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **carry on** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | with something; as the prosecution of a war | vn sustain-55.6 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **prosecute** *in a quote* |  | a war |  |  |  |  |  | nom prosecution «act intransitive»: of=agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prosecution showed the evidence to the jury.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:x1:1
# text = The prosecution showed the evidence to the jury.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prosecution	prosecution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	showed	show	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	evidence	evidence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	jury	jury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | past | the prosecution | the evidence | the jury |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent evidence=Topic to jury=Recipient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He faced prosecution for shoplifting.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:x2:1
# text = He faced prosecution for shoplifting.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	faced	face	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	prosecution	prosecution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	shoplifting	shoplifting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **face** | past | He | prosecution |  |  |  | for shoplifting | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent prosecution=Destination |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prosecution called its first witness.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:x3:1
# text = The prosecution called its first witness.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prosecution	prosecution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	called	call	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
5	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	6	amod	_	_
6	witness	witness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | participle | the prosecution *not said here* | prosecution's first witness |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent witness=Recipient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Toad was prosecuted for stealing a motor-car.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:x4:1
# text = Toad was prosecuted for stealing a motor-car.
1	Toad	Toad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	prosecuted	prosecute	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	stealing	steal	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	motor	motor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	car	car	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prosecute** | past · passive |  | Toad |  |  |  |  | vn prosecute-33.2-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **steal** | gerund |  | a motor car |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location car=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The case was dropped, so there was no prosecution.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:x5:1
# text = The case was dropped, so there was no prosecution.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	case	case	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	dropped	drop	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	so	so	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	there	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	8	expl	_	_
8	was	be	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
9	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	10	det	_	_
10	prosecution	prosecution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drop** | past · passive |  | the case |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **be** | past | no prosecution |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The defence argued against the prosecution.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:prosecution:x6:1
# text = The defence argued against the prosecution.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	defence	defence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	argued	argue	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	against	against	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	prosecution	prosecution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **argue** *speech: disagree* | past | the defence |  |  |  |  | against the prosecution | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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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