---
title: trait — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «trait» in the school dictionary: A trait is a quality that is part of someone's character, like being brave, shy or kind. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# trait

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** trait, quality, Kindness, Brown eyes, she, you · **What happens:** be, pass down, get, write down, pass, not be · **To what, where:** quality, part, feature, science, children, typical feature

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A trait is a quality that is part of someone's character, like being brave, shy or kind.

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:m1:1
# text = A trait is a quality that is part of someone's character, like being brave, shy or kind.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	trait	trait	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	quality	quality	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	part	part	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	acl:relcl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	12	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	's	's	PART	POS	_	10	case	_	_
12	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
14	like	like	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	16	cop	_	_
16	brave	brave	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
18	shy	shy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	conj	_	_
19	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
20	kind	kind	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a trait | a quality |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | a quality | part |  |  |  | of someone's character | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | brave *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **be** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **be** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
In science, a trait is a feature passed down from parents to children, such as eye colour or the shape of a leaf.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:m2:1
# text = In science, a trait is a feature passed down from parents to children, such as eye colour or the shape of a leaf.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	science	science	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	trait	trait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	feature	feature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	passed	pass	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
10	down	down	ADP	RP	_	9	compound:prt	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	parents	parent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
16	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	19	case	_	_
17	as	as	ADP	IN	_	16	fixed	_	_
18	eye	eye	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	_
19	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	appos	_	_
20	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	22	det	_	_
22	shape	shape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	conj	_	_
23	of	of	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
24	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	25	det	_	_
25	leaf	leaf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a trait | a feature |  | science |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **pass down** | participle |  | a feature *not said here* | children |  |  | from parents | vn escape-51.1-1-3 «NP V PP.initial\_location PP.destination»: agent=Theme from parent=Initial\_Location to child=Destination |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A trait can also be a typical feature of something, like a trait of a style of music.

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:m3:1
# text = A trait can also be a typical feature of something, like a trait of a style of music.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	trait	trait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
4	also	also	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	typical	typical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	feature	feature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	like	like	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	trait	trait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	appos	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	style	style	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
18	of	of	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	music	music	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | can | a trait | a typical feature |  |  |  | of something | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Kindness is Mia's best trait.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x1:1
# text = Kindness is Mia's best trait.
1	Kindness	kindness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	6	amod	_	_
6	trait	trait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Kindness | Mia's best trait |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Brown eyes are a trait she got from her dad.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x2:1
# text = Brown eyes are a trait she got from her dad.
1	Brown	brown	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	trait	trait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Brown eyes | a trait |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **get** | past | she | a trait *not said here* |  |  |  | from her dad | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent trait=Theme from dad=Source |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Write down three character traits of the wolf in the story.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x3:1
# text = Write down three character traits of the wolf in the story.
1	Write	write	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	down	down	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	_
3	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
4	character	character	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	traits	trait	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	wolf	wolf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write down** | imperative | you *not said here* | three character traits of the wolf |  | the story |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent trait=Theme in story=Destination |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Curly hair is a family trait in our house.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x4:1
# text = Curly hair is a family trait in our house.
1	Curly	curly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	trait	trait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	house	house	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Curly hair | a family trait |  | our house |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Giraffes passed on the trait of long necks.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x5:1
# text = Giraffes passed on the trait of long necks.
1	Giraffes	giraffe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
2	passed	pass	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	acl	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	trait	trait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	necks	neck	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass** | participle |  | Giraffes *not said here* |  | the trait of long necks |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme on trait=Location |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Being stubborn is not always a bad trait.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x6:1
# text = Being stubborn is not always a bad trait.
1	Being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	cop	_	_
2	stubborn	stubborn	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	csubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
5	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	8	advmod	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	trait	trait	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** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | stubborn *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **is a** | present |  | a bad trait |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Plants also inherit traits from their parent plants.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x7:1
# text = Plants also inherit traits from their parent plants.
1	Plants	plant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	also	also	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	inherit	inherit	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	traits	trait	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	plants	plant	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 | **inherit** | present | Plants | traits |  | Plants's parent plants |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent trait=Theme from plant=Source |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
One could mention many lovable traits in Smee.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:trait:x8:1
# text = One could mention many lovable traits in Smee.
1	One	one	PRON	PRP	Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	mention	mention	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
5	lovable	lovable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	traits	trait	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	Smee	Smee	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mention** *speech: other* | could | One | many lovable traits |  | Smee |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent trait=Topic |

<!-- 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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