---
title: reticence — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «reticence» in the school dictionary: The habit of not saying much, or of keeping your feelings and thoughts to yourself. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# reticence

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** habit, Mia, reticence, people, She, detective · **What happens:** not say, keep, do, tell, happen, make · **To what, where:** feelings, yourself, teacher, reticence, front · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The habit of not saying much, or of keeping your feelings and thoughts to yourself.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:m1:1
# text = The habit of not saying much, or of keeping your feelings and thoughts to yourself.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	habit	habit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	saying	say	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	0	root	_	_
6	much	much	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
10	keeping	keep	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	conj	_	_
11	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	feelings	feeling	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	thoughts	thought	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	conj	_	_
15	to	to	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	yourself	yourself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **say** *speech: assert* | gerund | the habit |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **keep** | gerund | the habit *not said here* | your feelings and thoughts | yourself |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent feeling=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: sometimes, informal — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unwillingness to do something; reluctance.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:m2:1
# text = Unwillingness to do something; reluctance.
1	Unwillingness	unwillingness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	_
2	to	to	PART	TO	_	3	mark	_	_
3	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	acl	_	_
4	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	6	punct	_	_
6	reluctance	reluctance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Despite her reticence, Mia told the teacher what had happened.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:x1:1
# text = Despite her reticence, Mia told the teacher what had happened.
1	Despite	despite	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	reticence	reticence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	told	tell	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	iobj	_	_
9	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	11	nsubj	_	_
10	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	happened	happen	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	6	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | Mia |  | the teacher |  |  | despite her reticence | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP what S»: agent=Agent teacher=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **happen** | past · perfect |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
His reticence made some people think he was unfriendly.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:x2:1
# text = His reticence made some people think he was unfriendly.
1	His	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	reticence	reticence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	5	det	_	_
5	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
6	think	think	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
7	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
8	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	unfriendly	unfriendly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | past | His reticence |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **think** *speech: other* | present | some people |  |  |  |  |  | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | past | reticence |  |  |  |  | unfriendly *property* | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandad's reticence about the war meant he rarely talked about it.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:x3:1
# text = Grandad's reticence about the war meant he rarely talked about it.
1	Grandad	Grandad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	reticence	reticence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	war	war	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	meant	mean	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
9	rarely	rarely	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	talked	talk	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	ccomp	_	_
11	about	about	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | past | Grandad's reticence about the war |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **talk** | past | reticence |  |  |  |  | about war; rarely *property* | vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about it=Topic |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She overcame her reticence and sang in front of the class.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:x4:1
# text = She overcame her reticence and sang in front of the class.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	overcame	overcome	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	reticence	reticence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	sang	sing	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	front	front	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	class	class	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **overcome** | past | She | her reticence |  |  |  |  | vn exceed-90 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot reticence=Theme |
| 2 | **sing** *speech: express* | past | She *not said here* |  |  | front of the class |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in front=Location |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The detective noticed the witness's reticence.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:x5:1
# text = The detective noticed the witness's reticence.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	detective	detective	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	noticed	notice	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	witness	witness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	reticence	reticence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **notice** | past | the detective | the witness's reticence |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer reticence=Stimulus |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Reticence is not the same as rudeness; some people are just quiet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:reticence:x6:1
# text = Reticence is not the same as rudeness; some people are just quiet.
1	Reticence	reticence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	rudeness	rudeness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
9	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	10	det	_	_
10	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nsubj	_	_
11	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
12	just	just	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
13	quiet	quiet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | present | Reticence |  |  |  |  | as rudeness; same *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | some people |  |  |  |  | quiet *property* | 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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