---
title: public — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «public» in the school dictionary: Public means for everyone to use or see, not private: a public park, a public toilet. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# public

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Public, public library, We, you, museum, She · **What happens:** mean, use, see, do, run, pay for · **To what, where:** ordinary people, front, public school, public transport, city, nose

<!-- .vabout -->
«public» in the school dictionary: its 4 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: [public in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/public.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Public means for everyone to use or see, not private: a public park, a public toilet.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:m1:1
# text = Public means for everyone to use or see, not private: a public park, a public toilet.
1	Public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	2	obl	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	use	use	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl	_	_
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	see	see	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	private	private	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	15	punct	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	park	park	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
18	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	toilet	toilet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Public |  |  |  |  | for everyone | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot for everyone=Attribute |
| 2 | **use** | to-infinitive | Public *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **see** | infinitive | Public *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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 public means ordinary people in general.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:m2:1
# text = The public means ordinary people in general.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	public	public	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	ordinary	ordinary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	general	general	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | the public | ordinary people |  |  |  | in general | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot people=Theme in general=Attribute |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Public means done in front of other people: public speaking.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:m3:1
# text = Public means done in front of other people: public speaking.
1	Public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	done	do	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	xcomp	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	front	front	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
10	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	speaking	speaking	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Public |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **do** *not said to happen* | participle | Public *not said here* |  |  | front of other people and public speaking |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Public can mean run or paid for by the government: a public school, public transport.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:m4:1
# text = Public can mean run or paid for by the government: a public school, public transport.
1	Public	public	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	run	run	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	paid	pay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	compound:prt	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	government	government	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl:agent	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
16	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	transport	transport	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | can | Public | a public school and public transport |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **run** *not said to happen* | infinitive | Public *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **pay for** | participle | Public *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The public library is free for everyone.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x1:1
# text = The public library is free for everyone.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	library	library	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	free	free	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	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 | the public library |  |  |  |  | for everyone; free *property* | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We took public transport to the city.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x2:1
# text = We took public transport to the city.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	took	take	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	transport	transport	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	city	city	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | past | We | public transport |  | the city |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent transport=Theme to city=Destination |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Do not pick your nose in public!

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x3:1
# text = Do not pick your nose in public!
1	Do	do	AUX	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
2	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
3	pick	pick	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	nose	nose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **pick** | imperative · do-support | you *not said here* | your nose |  | public |  |  | vn chew-39.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nose=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The museum is open to the public on Sundays.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x4:1
# text = The museum is open to the public on Sundays.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	museum	museum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	open	open	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	public	public	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	Sundays	Sunday	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | the museum |  |  |  | sunday | to the public; open *property* | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Keep your passwords private, not public.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x5:1
# text = Keep your passwords private, not public.
1	Keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	passwords	password	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	private	private	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | imperative | you *not said here* | your passwords |  |  |  | private *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent password=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She is shy about public speaking.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x6:1
# text = She is shy about public speaking.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	shy	shy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	speaking	speaking	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 | **is** | present | She |  |  |  |  | about public speaking; shy *property* | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Public toilets are near the car park.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x7:1
# text = Public toilets are near the car park.
1	Public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	toilets	toilet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
4	near	near	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	car	car	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	park	park	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** | present | Public toilets |  |  | the car park |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The news was made public on TV.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x8:1
# text = The news was made public on TV.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	news	news	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	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	TV	TV	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | past · passive |  | the news |  | TV |  | public *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product |

## Example 9 {#x9}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He took an active part in public affairs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:public:x9:1
# text = He took an active part in public affairs.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	took	take	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	active	active	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	part	part	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	affairs	affair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | past | He | a active part |  | public affairs |  |  | vn fit-54.3 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent part=Value in affair=Location |

<!-- 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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