---
title: referent — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «referent» in the school dictionary: The real thing, person or idea that a word or phrase points to: in «the dog barked», the referent of «the dog» is the actual dog. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# referent

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** dog, real thing, that, thing, Sam, referent · **What happens:** bark, be, pronoun, refer, lose, find · **To what, where:** actual dog, hat, Sam, referent, sentence, city

<!-- .vabout -->
«referent» in the school dictionary: its 2 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: [referent in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/referent.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The real thing, person or idea that a word or phrase points to: in «the dog barked», the referent of «the dog» is the actual dog.

<!-- fold The tree, 26 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:m1:1
# text = The real thing, person or idea that a word or phrase points to: in «the dog barked», the referent of «the dog» is the actual dog.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	33	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	appos	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
8	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	20	mark	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
11	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
12	phrase	phrase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	points	point	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	conj	_	_
14	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	fixed	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	20	punct	_	_
16	in	in	SCONJ	IN	_	20	mark	_	_
17	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	20	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nsubj	_	_
20	barked	bark	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
23	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	24	det	_	_
24	referent	referent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	appos	_	_
25	of	of	ADP	IN	_	28	case	_	_
26	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	28	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	28	det	_	_
28	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	24	punct	_	_
30	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	33	cop	_	_
31	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	33	det	_	_
32	actual	actual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	33	amod	_	_
33	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
34	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	33	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bark** *in a quote* | past | the dog |  |  |  |  |  | vn animal\_sounds-38 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | present | the real thing | the actual dog |  |  |  |  | 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.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The thing that a pronoun like «it» or «she» refers back to.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:m2:1
# text = The thing that a pronoun like «it» or «she» refers back to.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	pronoun	pronoun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	_
6	like	like	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
11	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
14	refers	refer	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
15	back	back	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
16	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pronoun** |  | that |  |  |  |  | like thing | tree rules |
| 2 | **refer** | present | the thing |  |  |  |  |  | vn relate-86.2-2 «NP V PP.co-theme»: agent=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In «Sam lost his hat», the referent of «his» is Sam.

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:x1:1
# text = In «Sam lost his hat», the referent of «his» is Sam.
1	In	in	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
2	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	16	advcl	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	hat	hat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	referent	referent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
15	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
16	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	16	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** *in a quote* | past | Sam | Sam's hat |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent hat=Eventuality |
| 2 | **is a** | present | Sam's referent | Sam |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Find the referent of «it» in the sentence.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:x2:1
# text = Find the referent of «it» in the sentence.
1	Find	find	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	referent	referent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	sentence	sentence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find** | imperative | you *not said here* | the referent of referent |  | the sentence |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent referent=Topic |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The word «Paris» has a city as its referent.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:x3:1
# text = The word «Paris» has a city as its referent.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	Paris	Paris	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
6	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	city	city	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	referent	referent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | the word | a city |  |  |  | as word's referent | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent city=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An unclear referent makes a sentence confusing.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:x4:1
# text = An unclear referent makes a sentence confusing.
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	unclear	unclear	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	referent	referent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	sentence	sentence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	confusing	confusing	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

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

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In «The cats ate their food», the referent of «their» is the cats.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:x5:1
# text = In «The cats ate their food», the referent of «their» is the cats.
1	In	in	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	cats	cat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	ate	eat	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	18	advcl	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	referent	referent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
16	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	cats	cat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	18	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **eat** *in a quote* | past | the cats | cats's food |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Patient |
| 2 | **is a** | present | the referent | the cats |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ask yourself: what is the referent of «they»?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:referent:x6:1
# text = Ask yourself: what is the referent of «they»?
1	Ask	ask	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	yourself	yourself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
4	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	7	nsubj	_	_
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	referent	referent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	parataxis	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | imperative | you *not said here* | yourself |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent yourself=Recipient |
| 2 | **is a** | present |  | they's referent |  |  |  |  | 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 -->
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