---
title: tabby — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «tabby» in the school dictionary: A tabby is a cat with a striped, swirled or spotted coat, often grey, brown or ginger, with an «M» shape on its forehead. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# tabby

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** tabby, tabby cat, tabby kitten, ginger tabby, Tabbies, Mog · **What happens:** be, swirl, spot, describe, sleep, have · **To what, where:** cat, kind, female cat, windowsill, white tip, tail

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A tabby is a cat with a striped, swirled or spotted coat, often grey, brown or ginger, with an «M» shape on its forehead.

<!-- fold The tree, 24 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:m1:1
# text = A tabby is a cat with a striped, swirled or spotted coat, often grey, brown or ginger, with an «M» shape on its forehead.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tabby	tabby	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	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
8	striped	striped	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
10	swirled	swirl	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	13	amod	_	_
11	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	spotted	spot	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	conj	_	_
13	coat	coat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
15	often	often	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
16	grey	grey	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
18	brown	brown	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	conj	_	_
19	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
20	ginger	ginger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	27	punct	_	_
22	with	with	ADP	IN	_	27	case	_	_
23	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	27	det	_	_
24	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	25	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	M	M	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	27	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	25	punct	_	_
27	shape	shape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	conj	_	_
28	on	on	ADP	IN	_	30	case	_	_
29	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	30	nmod:poss	_	_
30	forehead	forehead	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	27	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
31	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a tabby | a cat |  |  |  | with a striped swirled coat | tree rules |
| 2 | **swirl** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **spot** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn weather-57 «It V PP.theme» |

<!-- .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 -->
Tabby describes this kind of striped pattern: «a tabby kitten».

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:m2:1
# text = Tabby describes this kind of striped pattern: «a tabby kitten».
1	Tabby	Tabby	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	this	this	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	det	_	_
4	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	striped	striped	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	pattern	pattern	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	tabby	tabby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	kitten	kitten	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | present | Tabby | this kind of striped pattern |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP to be ADJ»: agent=Agent kind=Theme clause=Attribute |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A tabby can be a female cat.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:m3:1
# text = A tabby can be a female cat.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tabby	tabby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	female	female	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | can | a tabby | a female cat |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Our tabby cat sleeps on the windowsill.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:x1:1
# text = Our tabby cat sleeps on the windowsill.
1	Our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	tabby	tabby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	sleeps	sleep	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	windowsill	windowsill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sleep** | present | Our tabby cat |  |  | the windowsill |  |  | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The tabby kitten had a white tip on its tail.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:x2:1
# text = The tabby kitten had a white tip on its tail.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	tabby	tabby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	kitten	kitten	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	white	white	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	tip	tip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	tail	tail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | past | the tabby kitten | a white tip |  | kitten's tail |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tip=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A ginger tabby followed us home.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:x3:1
# text = A ginger tabby followed us home.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	ginger	ginger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	tabby	tabby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	followed	follow	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	home	home	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | past | a ginger tabby | us |  |  |  | home *property* | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent we=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tabbies have an «M» shape on their foreheads.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:x4:1
# text = Tabbies have an «M» shape on their foreheads.
1	Tabbies	tabby	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
4	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	M	M	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
7	shape	shape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	foreheads	forehead	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | Tabbies | a M shape |  | Tabbies's foreheads |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent shape=Patient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mog is a famous tabby in a picture book.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:x5:1
# text = Mog is a famous tabby in a picture book.
1	Mog	Mog	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	famous	famous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	tabby	tabby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	book	book	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** | present | Mog | a famous tabby |  | a picture book |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
My tabby chases leaves in the garden.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tabby:x6:1
# text = My tabby chases leaves in the garden.
1	My	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	tabby	tabby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	chases	chase	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	leaves	leaf	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	garden	garden	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **chase** | present | My tabby | leaves |  | the garden |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent leaf=Theme in garden=Trajectory |

<!-- 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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