---
title: sober — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «sober» in the school dictionary: Sober means not drunk, not affected by alcohol. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# sober

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Sober, Sober colours, someone, bus driver, town, He · **What happens:** mean, not affect, be, not be, sober up, sober · **To what, where:** someone, alcohol, sober mood, sober grey suit, sobering thought, everyone

<!-- .vabout -->
«sober» in the school dictionary: its 5 meanings for a pupil and its 8 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: [sober in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sober.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sober means not drunk, not affected by alcohol.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:m1:1
# text = Sober means not drunk, not affected by alcohol.
1	Sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	drunk	drunk	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	affected	affect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	conj	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	alcohol	alcohol	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Sober |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **affect** | participle | Sober *not said here* |  |  |  |  | by alcohol | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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 -->
Sober means serious, calm and sensible: a sober mood.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:m2:1
# text = Sober means serious, calm and sensible: a sober mood.
1	Sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	serious	serious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	calm	calm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	sensible	sensible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	mood	mood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Sober |  |  |  |  | serious *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sober colours or clothes are plain and dull, not bright.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:m3:1
# text = Sober colours or clothes are plain and dull, not bright.
1	Sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	colours	colour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	clothes	clothes	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	2	conj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	plain	plain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	dull	dull	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	bright	bright	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Sober colours or clothes |  |  |  |  | plain *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | Sober colours or clothes *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **not** **be** |  | Sober colours or clothes *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To sober up is to stop being drunk; to sober (someone) is to make them serious.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:m4:1
# text = To sober up is to stop being drunk; to sober (someone) is to make them serious.
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	sober	sober	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
3	up	up	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	stop	stop	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	cop	_	_
8	drunk	drunk	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	sober	sober	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	6	conj	_	_
12	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	17	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	13	punct	_	_
15	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
17	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	ccomp	_	_
18	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	17	obj	_	_
19	serious	serious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sober up** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | stop *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | drunk *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **sober** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **is** | present | someone |  |  |  |  | make, serious *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 5 {#m5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sober also describes someone who has stopped drinking alcohol for good.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:m5:1
# text = Sober also describes someone who has stopped drinking alcohol for good.
1	Sober	Sober	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	also	also	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	obj	_	_
5	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
6	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	stopped	stop	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	4	acl:relcl	_	_
8	drinking	drink	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	xcomp	_	_
9	alcohol	alcohol	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | present | Sober | someone |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent someone=Theme |
| 2 | **stop** | present · perfect |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Affector clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **drink** | gerund |  | alcohol |  |  |  | for good | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent alcohol=Patient |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The bus driver must be sober.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x1:1
# text = The bus driver must be sober.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	bus	bus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	driver	driver	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
4	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	cop	_	_
6	sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | must | the bus driver |  |  |  |  | sober *property* | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
After the accident, the town was in a sober mood.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x2:1
# text = After the accident, the town was in a sober mood.
1	After	after	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	accident	accident	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	town	town	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	mood	mood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the town |  |  | a sober mood | after the accident |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He wore a sober grey suit to the funeral.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x3:1
# text = He wore a sober grey suit to the funeral.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	wore	wear	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	grey	grey	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	suit	suit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	funeral	funeral	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wear** | past | He | a sober grey suit |  |  |  | to the funeral | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent suit=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Uncle Pete has been sober for five years.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x4:1
# text = Uncle Pete has been sober for five years.
1	Uncle	Uncle	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	Pete	Pete	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	5	cop	_	_
5	sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	five	five	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present · perfect | Uncle Pete |  |  |  | year | sober *property* | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
That was a sobering thought.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x5:1
# text = That was a sobering thought.
1	That	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	5	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	sobering	sober	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	thought	thought	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sober** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is a** | past | That | a sobering thought |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The news sobered everyone up quickly.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x6:1
# text = The news sobered everyone up quickly.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	news	news	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sobered	sober	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	3	obj	_	_
5	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
6	quickly	quickly	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sober up** | past | the news | everyone |  |  |  | quickly *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus everyone=Experiencer |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She gave a sober account of what happened.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x7:1
# text = She gave a sober account of what happened.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	gave	give	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	sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	nsubj	_	_
8	happened	happen	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | past | She | a sober account |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent account=Theme |
| 2 | **happen** | past | a sober account |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Lastly came the youngest brother, Henry, with quiet steps and a sober, thought-ful look.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sober:x8:1
# text = Lastly came the youngest brother, Henry, with quiet steps and a sober, thought-ful look.
1	Lastly	lastly	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	youngest	young	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	5	amod	_	_
5	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	Henry	Henry	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	with	with	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	quiet	quiet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	steps	step	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
14	sober	sober	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
16	thought	think	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	19	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	ful	ful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	look	look	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | the youngest brother |  |  |  |  | with quiet steps and a sober thought ful look; lastly *property* | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **think** *speech: other* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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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