---
title: reformer — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «reformer» in the school dictionary: A reformer is a person who works to change something, such as laws, schools, prisons or society, to make it better and fairer. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# reformer

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** reformer, person, Reformers, Christian leaders, Elizabeth, prison reformer · **What happens:** be, work, change, make, want, renew · **To what, where:** person, something, reformer, Christian leaders, Church, prison reformer

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A reformer is a person who works to change something, such as laws, schools, prisons or society, to make it better and fairer.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:m1:1
# text = A reformer is a person who works to change something, such as laws, schools, prisons or society, to make it better and fairer.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	reformer	reformer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	works	work	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	change	change	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	14	case	_	_
13	as	as	ADP	IN	_	12	fixed	_	_
14	laws	law	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
16	schools	school	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
18	prisons	prison	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	_
19	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
20	society	society	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	23	punct	_	_
22	to	to	PART	TO	_	23	mark	_	_
23	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
24	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	23	obj	_	_
25	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	23	xcomp	_	_
26	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	27	cc	_	_
27	fairer	fair	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	25	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a reformer | a person |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **work** | present | a person |  |  |  |  |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **change** | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* | something |  |  |  | such laws and schools and prisons or society | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Patient |
| 4 | **make** | to-infinitive | a person *not said here* | reformer |  |  |  | good *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset it=Product |

<!-- .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: church — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Reformers were Christian leaders, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who wanted to change and renew the Church, leading to the Protestant churches.

<!-- fold The tree, 25 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:m2:1
# text = The Reformers were Christian leaders, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who wanted to change and renew the Church, leading to the Protestant churches.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Reformers	reformer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	Christian	Christian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	leaders	leader	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	10	case	_	_
8	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	fixed	_	_
9	Martin	Martin	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	Luther	Luther	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	John	John	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
13	Calvin	Calvin	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
15	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	16	nsubj	_	_
16	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	change	change	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	xcomp	_	_
19	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
20	renew	renew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	18	conj	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	Church	Church	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	20	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
24	leading	lead	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	20	advcl	_	_
25	to	to	ADP	IN	_	28	case	_	_
26	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	28	det	_	_
27	Protestant	protestant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	28	amod	_	_
28	churches	church	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	24	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the Reformers | Christian leaders |  |  |  | such Martin Luther and John | tree rules |
| 2 | **want** | past | Christian leaders |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 3 | **change** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | Christian leaders *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **renew** | infinitive | Christian leaders *not said here* | the Church |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: agent=Agent church=Patient |
| 5 | **lead** | gerund | Christian leaders *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to the Protestant churches | vn result-27.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Precondition to church=Patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Elizabeth Fry was a prison reformer who helped women in jail.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:x1:1
# text = Elizabeth Fry was a prison reformer who helped women in jail.
1	Elizabeth	Elizabeth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
2	Fry	Fry	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	flat	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	prison	prison	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	reformer	reformer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	helped	help	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	women	woman	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	jail	jail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Elizabeth | a prison reformer |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **help** | past | a prison reformer |  | women | jail |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent woman=Beneficiary |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Lord Shaftesbury was a reformer who fought to stop children working in mines.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:x2:1
# text = Lord Shaftesbury was a reformer who fought to stop children working in mines.
1	Lord	Lord	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	Shaftesbury	Shaftesbury	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	flat	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	reformer	reformer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
7	fought	fight	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
10	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
11	working	work	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	acl	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	mines	mine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Lord | a reformer |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **fight** | past | a reformer |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **stop** | to-infinitive | a reformer *not said here* | children |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality child=Eventuality |
| 4 | **work** | gerund | children *not said here* |  |  |  |  | in mines | vn employment-95.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent in mine=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
(church) Martin Luther was one of the great Reformers.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:x3:1
# text = (church) Martin Luther was one of the great Reformers.
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	church	church	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
4	Martin	Martin	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	_
5	Luther	Luther	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	flat	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	0	root	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	Reformers	reformer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | church | one |  |  |  | of the great Reformers | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The new head teacher is a reformer who wants to change everything.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:x4:1
# text = The new head teacher is a reformer who wants to change everything.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	reformer	reformer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
9	wants	want	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	change	change	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	xcomp	_	_
12	everything	everything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the new head teacher | a reformer |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **want** | present | a reformer |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 3 | **change** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | a reformer *not said here* | everything |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent everything=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Reformers campaigned for the vote for women.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:x5:1
# text = Reformers campaigned for the vote for women.
1	Reformers	reformer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	campaigned	campaign	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	vote	vote	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	women	woman	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **campaign** | past | Reformers |  |  |  |  | for the vote; for women | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Many reformers were inspired by their Christian faith.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reformer:x6:1
# text = Many reformers were inspired by their Christian faith.
1	Many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	reformers	reformer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	inspired	inspire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	Christian	Christian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	faith	faith	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl:agent	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **inspire** | past · passive | reformers's Christian faith | Many reformers |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus subject=Experiencer |

<!-- 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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