---
title: scourge — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «scourge» in the school dictionary: A scourge is a person, animal or thing that causes great trouble or suffering, a plague. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# scourge

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** scourge, thing, dragon, Snakes, fire · **What happens:** be, cause, use, beat, whip · **To what, where:** person, great trouble, whip, someone, scourge

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«scourge» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 3 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: [scourge in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/scourge.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A scourge is a person, animal or thing that causes great trouble or suffering, a plague.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:scourge:m1:1
# text = A scourge is a person, animal or thing that causes great trouble or suffering, a plague.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	scourge	scourge	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	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj	_	_
11	causes	cause	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
12	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	trouble	trouble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
15	suffering	suffering	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	plague	plague	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a scourge | a person and animal or thing |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **cause** | present | thing | great trouble or suffering and a plague |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition trouble=Patient |

<!-- .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: old use — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A scourge is a whip used to beat someone.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:scourge:m2:1
# text = A scourge is a whip used to beat someone.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	scourge	scourge	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	whip	whip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
7	to	to	PART	TO	_	8	mark	_	_
8	beat	beat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
9	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a scourge | a whip |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **use** | participle |  | a whip *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **beat** | to-infinitive |  | someone |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location someone=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To scourge is (old use) to whip or beat someone as a punishment.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:scourge:m3:1
# text = To scourge is (old use) to whip or beat someone as a punishment.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	scourge	scourge	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	cop	_	_
4	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	6	punct	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	whip	whip	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	beat	beat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	conj	_	_
12	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	11	obj	_	_
13	as	as	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	punishment	punishment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | scourge *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **whip** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-1-1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **beat** | infinitive |  | someone |  |  |  | as a punishment | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location someone=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The dragon was the scourge of the land.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:scourge:x1:1
# text = The dragon was the scourge of the land.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dragon	dragon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	scourge	scourge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	land	land	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

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

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Snakes can be the scourge of a village.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:scourge:x2:1
# text = Snakes can be the scourge of a village.
1	Snakes	snake	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	scourge	scourge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	village	village	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | can | Snakes | the scourge |  |  |  | of a village | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fire was the scourge of the old town.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:scourge:x3:1
# text = The fire was the scourge of the old town.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	scourge	scourge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	town	town	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the fire | the scourge |  |  |  | of the old town | 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.

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<!-- pn -->
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