---
title: sew — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «sew» in the school dictionary: To sew is to join cloth or attach things like buttons with a needle and thread. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# sew

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** She, 4, He, bag, many shirts, Grandma · **What happens:** sew, be, attach, mend, sew up, make · **To what, where:** things, clothes, something, 5 buttons, shirt, 2 m

<!-- .vabout -->
«sew» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 9 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: [sew in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sew.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To sew is to join cloth or attach things like buttons with a needle and thread.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:m1:1
# text = To sew is to join cloth or attach things like buttons with a needle and thread.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	sew	sew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	csubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	join	join	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	cloth	cloth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	attach	attach	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
9	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
10	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	buttons	button	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nmod	_	_
12	with	with	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	needle	needle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
15	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
16	thread	thread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | join *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **attach** | infinitive |  | things |  |  |  | like buttons; with a needle and thread | vn shake-22.3-2-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent thing=Patient with needle=Co-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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To sew is to make or mend clothes with a needle or a sewing machine.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:m2:1
# text = To sew is to make or mend clothes with a needle or a sewing machine.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	sew	sew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	csubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	mend	mend	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
8	clothes	clothes	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	7	obj	_	_
9	with	with	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	needle	needle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
12	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	sewing	sewing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	machine	machine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | make *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **mend** | infinitive |  | clothes |  |  |  | with a needle or a sewing machine | tree rules |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To sew up something is to finish or make sure of it (informal).

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:m3:1
# text = To sew up something is to finish or make sure of it (informal).
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	sew	sew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	advcl	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	finish	finish	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	7	conj	_	_
10	sure	sure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obl	_	_
13	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	informal	informal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew up** | to-infinitive |  | something |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Product |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | finish *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **make** | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | sure *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She sews 4 dresses a week.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x1:1
# text = She sews 4 dresses a week.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sews	sew	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	4	4	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nsubj	_	_
4	dresses	dress	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	week	week	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew** | present | She |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **dress** | present | 4 |  |  |  | week |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He sews 5 buttons on each shirt.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x2:1
# text = He sews 5 buttons on each shirt.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sews	sew	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	5	5	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
4	buttons	button	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	shirt	shirt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew** | present | He | 5 buttons |  | each shirt |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent button=Theme on shirt=Destination |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Each bag needs 2 m of cloth to sew.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x3:1
# text = Each bag needs 2 m of cloth to sew.
1	Each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	bag	bag	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	2	2	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	m	m	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	cloth	cloth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	sew	sew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | each bag | 2 m of cloth |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot m=Theme |
| 2 | **sew** | to-infinitive | each bag *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
How many shirts can she sew?

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x4:1
# text = How many shirts can she sew?
1	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	2	advmod	_	_
2	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	shirts	shirt	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	sew	sew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew** | can | many shirts |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandma taught me to sew on a button.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x5:1
# text = Grandma taught me to sew on a button.
1	Grandma	grandma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	taught	teach	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	iobj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	sew	sew	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	button	button	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **teach** *speech: other* | past | Grandma |  | me |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent i=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **sew** | to-infinitive | Grandma *not said here* |  |  | a button |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V PP.destination»: agent=Theme on button=Destination |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
We sewed felt puppets in class.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x6:1
# text = We sewed felt puppets in class.
1	We	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sewed	sew	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	felt	feel	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	amod	_	_
4	puppets	puppet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	class	class	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew** | past | We | felt puppets |  | class |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent puppet=Theme in class=Destination |
| 2 | **feel** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Keep your needles in a pincushion when you sew.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x7:1
# text = Keep your needles in a pincushion when you sew.
1	Keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	needles	needle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	pincushion	pincushion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	9	advmod	_	_
8	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	sew	sew	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | imperative | you *not said here* | your needles |  | a pincushion |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent needle=Theme in pincushion=Location |
| 2 | **sew** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mum sewed up the hole in my sock.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x8:1
# text = Mum sewed up the hole in my sock.
1	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sewed	sew	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	hole	hole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	sock	sock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew up** | past | Mum | the hole |  | my sock |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent hole=Theme in sock=Destination |

## Example 9 {#x9}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He sewed them on his coat.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sew:x9:1
# text = He sewed them on his coat.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sewed	sew	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	coat	coat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sew** | past | He | them *= they* |  | his coat |  |  | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent they=Theme on coat=Destination |

<!-- 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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