---
title: sought — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «sought» in the school dictionary: Looked for or searched for. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# sought

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** explorers, She, teacher, They, police, He · **What happens:** look, search, try, get, achieve, ask · **To what, where:** something, help, after, way, mountains, shelter · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«sought» in the school dictionary: its 4 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: [sought in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sought.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Looked for or searched for.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:m1:1
# text = Looked for or searched for.
1	Looked	look	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
2	for	for	ADP	IN	_	1	obl	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	searched	search	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	conj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **search** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn search-35.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=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}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tried to get or achieve something.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:m2:1
# text = Tried to get or achieve something.
1	Tried	try	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
2	to	to	PART	TO	_	3	mark	_	_
3	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	xcomp	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	achieve	achieve	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
6	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **try** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **get** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |
| 3 | **achieve** | infinitive |  | something |  |  |  |  | vn complete-55.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Eventuality |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Asked for, as in sought advice or sought help.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:m3:1
# text = Asked for, as in sought advice or sought help.
1	Asked	ask	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
2	for	for	ADP	IN	_	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
4	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	sought	seek	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	advice	advice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
10	help	help	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | participle |  |  |  |  |  | as sought advice | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **seek** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **seek** | past |  | help |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent help=Theme |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Sought-after» means wanted by many people, popular.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:m4:1
# text = «Sought-after» means wanted by many people, popular.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Sought	seek	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	csubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	after	after	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	wanted	want	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	ccomp	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	popular	popular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** *in a quote* | participle |  | after |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent after=Theme |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **want** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | by many people | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The explorers sought a way across the mountains.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x1:1
# text = The explorers sought a way across the mountains.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	explorers	explorer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	across	across	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	mountains	mountain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | the explorers | a way |  | the mountains |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent way=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She sought help from her teacher when she was stuck.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x2:1
# text = She sought help from her teacher when she was stuck.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	help	help	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
8	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
9	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	stuck	stuck	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | She | help |  |  |  | from her teacher | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent help=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | past | teacher |  |  |  |  | stuck *property* | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They sought shelter from the rain under a tree.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x3:1
# text = They sought shelter from the rain under a tree.
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	shelter	shelter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	under	under	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	tree	tree	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 | **seek** | past | They | shelter |  | the rain |  | under a tree | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent shelter=Theme under tree=Location |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The police sought anyone who had seen the accident.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x4:1
# text = The police sought anyone who had seen the accident.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	police	police	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	obj	_	_
5	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
6	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	seen	see	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	4	acl:relcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	accident	accident	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | the police | anyone |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent anyone=Theme |
| 2 | **see** | past · perfect |  | the accident |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer accident=Stimulus |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
These old cards are much sought-after by collectors.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x5:1
# text = These old cards are much sought-after by collectors.
1	These	this	DET	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	3	det	_	_
2	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	cards	card	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	much	much	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	sought	seek	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	-	-	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	after	after	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	collectors	collector	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | present · passive |  | this old cards |  |  | after collectors |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He sought to make friends at his new school.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x6:1
# text = He sought to make friends at his new school.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	friends	friend	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
8	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **make** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | friends |  | his new school |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset friend=Product |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The villagers sought advice from the wise old woman.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x7:1
# text = The villagers sought advice from the wise old woman.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	villagers	villager	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	advice	advice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	wise	wise	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | the villagers | advice |  |  |  | from the wise old woman | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent advice=Theme |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The more he sought the less he found.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:sought:x8:1
# text = The more he sought the less he found.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	4	advmod	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	sought	seek	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	less	less	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	8	advmod	_	_
7	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	found	find	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seek** | past | he |  |  |  |  |  | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **find** | past | he |  |  |  |  | less *property* | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
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