---
title: severance — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «severance» in the school dictionary: Money paid to a worker when their job ends because the company no longer needs them; also called severance pay or redundancy pay. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# severance

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Money, company, their, factory, workers, severance package · **What happens:** pay, end, need, call, job, sever · **To what, where:** them, severance pay, connection, ties, something, pay · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«severance» in the school dictionary: its 3 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: [severance in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/severance.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Money paid to a worker when their job ends because the company no longer needs them; also called severance pay or redundancy pay.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:m1:1
# text = Money paid to a worker when their job ends because the company no longer needs them; also called severance pay or redundancy pay.
1	Money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
2	paid	pay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	advcl	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	worker	worker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	9	advmod	_	_
7	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	job	job	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	ends	end	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	company	company	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
13	no	no	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
14	longer	long	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	15	advmod	_	_
15	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	advcl	_	_
16	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
18	also	also	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
19	called	call	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	parataxis	_	_
20	severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	compound	_	_
21	pay	pay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	xcomp	_	_
22	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	24	cc	_	_
23	redundancy	redundancy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	compound	_	_
24	pay	pay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pay** | participle | Money *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to a worker | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **end** | present | Money |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 3 | **need** | present | the company | them *= they* |  |  |  | long *property* | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot they=Theme |
| 4 | **call** | participle |  | severance pay or redundancy pay |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 5 | **job** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom job «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ending a connection or relationship: the severance of ties.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:m2:1
# text = Ending a connection or relationship: the severance of ties.
1	Ending	end	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	connection	connection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	relationship	relationship	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	appos	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	ties	tie	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **end** | gerund |  | a connection or relationship |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality connection=Eventuality |
| 2 | **sever** |  |  | ties |  |  |  |  | nom severance «event transitive»: of=patient |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cutting something off.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:m3:1
# text = Cutting something off.
1	Cutting	cut	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obj	_	_
3	off	off	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cut off** | gerund |  | something |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector something=Eventuality |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
When the factory closed, workers got severance pay.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:x1:1
# text = When the factory closed, workers got severance pay.
1	When	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	4	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	factory	factory	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	closed	close	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
6	workers	worker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	pay	pay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **close** | participle | the factory |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **get** | past | workers | severance pay |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer pay=Stimulus |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Her severance package was three months' pay.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:x2:1
# text = Her severance package was three months' pay.
1	Her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	package	package	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
5	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	months	month	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	'	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	pay	pay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Her severance package | three months's pay |  |  | month |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Severance is 1 week's pay for every year worked, so 6 years gives 6 weeks.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:x3:1
# text = Severance is 1 week's pay for every year worked, so 6 years gives 6 weeks.
1	Severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	1	1	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
4	week	week	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	pay	pay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	worked	work	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	so	so	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
13	6	6	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	14	nummod	_	_
14	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	nsubj	_	_
15	gives	give	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	parataxis	_	_
16	6	6	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	17	nummod	_	_
17	weeks	week	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Severance | 1 week's pay |  |  | week |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **work** | past | every year |  |  |  |  |  | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **give** | present | 6 years |  |  |  | week |  | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The severance of the two countries' ties surprised many.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:x4:1
# text = The severance of the two countries' ties surprised many.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	countries	country	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	'	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	ties	tie	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
9	surprised	surprise	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **surprise** | past | the severance of the two countries's ties | many |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus many=Experiencer |
| 2 | **sever** |  |  | the two countries's ties |  |  |  |  | nom severance «event transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dad got a small severance when he was let go.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:x5:1
# text = Dad got a small severance when he was let go.
1	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	9	advmod	_	_
7	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	let	let	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	advcl	_	_
10	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | past | Dad | a small severance |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer severance=Stimulus |
| 2 | **let** | past · passive |  | Dad |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **go** | infinitive | Dad *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The severance of the rope sent the boat drifting.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:severance:x6:1
# text = The severance of the rope sent the boat drifting.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	severance	severance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	rope	rope	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	sent	send	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	boat	boat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	drifting	drift	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	6	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | past | the severance of the rope | the boat |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent boat=Theme |
| 2 | **drift** | gerund | the severance of the rope *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **sever** |  |  | the rope |  |  |  |  | nom severance «event transitive»: of=patient |

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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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