---
title: unlucky — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «unlucky» in the school dictionary: Unlucky means having bad luck, when things go wrong by chance. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unlucky/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/) / [school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/) / [U](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/) / unlucky

# unlucky

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Unlucky, things, people, something, you, unlucky team · **What happens:** mean, have, go, bring, believe, not happen · **To what, where:** bad luck, 3 games, row, 4, 13, unlucky day · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unlucky means having bad luck, when things go wrong by chance.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:m1:1
# text = Unlucky means having bad luck, when things go wrong by chance.
1	Unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	having	have	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	xcomp	_	_
4	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	luck	luck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	9	advmod	_	_
8	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	go	go	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	chance	chance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Unlucky |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **have** *not said to happen* | gerund | Unlucky *not said here* | bad luck |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent luck=Patient |
| 3 | **go** | present | things |  |  |  |  | by chance; wrong *property* | vn occur-48.3-2 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme by chance=Location |

<!-- .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 -->
Unlucky means bringing bad luck, as some people believe: «an unlucky number».

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:m2:1
# text = Unlucky means bringing bad luck, as some people believe: «an unlucky number».
1	Unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	bringing	bring	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	xcomp	_	_
4	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	luck	luck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
10	believe	believe	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	10	punct	_	_
12	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Unlucky |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **bring** *not said to happen* | gerund | Unlucky *not said here* | bad luck |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent luck=Theme |
| 3 | **believe** | present | some people |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unlucky can mean sad that something did not happen: «you were unlucky not to win».

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:m3:1
# text = Unlucky can mean sad that something did not happen: «you were unlucky not to win».
1	Unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	sad	sad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
5	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
6	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	9	nsubj	_	_
7	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	happen	happen	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
11	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
13	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	parataxis	_	_
15	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	17	advmod	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
17	win	win	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | can | Unlucky |  |  |  |  | sad *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **not** **happen** | past · do-support | something |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | past | you |  |  |  |  | unlucky *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **not** **win** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The unlucky team lost 3 games in a row.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x1:1
# text = The unlucky team lost 3 games in a row.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	team	team	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	3	3	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	games	game	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	row	row	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lose** | past | the unlucky team | 3 games |  | a row |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent game=Eventuality |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unlucky Sam dropped 4 of his 10 eggs.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x2:1
# text = Unlucky Sam dropped 4 of his 10 eggs.
1	Unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	dropped	drop	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	4	4	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	3	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
7	10	10	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **drop** | past | Unlucky Sam | 4 of Sam's 10 eggs |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent 4=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
13 is called an unlucky number.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x3:1
# text = 13 is called an unlucky number.
1	13	13	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	called	call	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | present · passive |  | 13 |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was an unlucky day: he lost 2 dollars.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x4:1
# text = It was an unlucky day: he lost 2 dollars.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
7	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	lost	lose	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl:relcl	_	_
9	2	2	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	dollars	dollar	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | It | a unlucky day |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **lose** | past | he | 2 dollars |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent dollar=Eventuality |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Unlucky!» said the coach when the ball hit the post.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x5:1
# text = «Unlucky!» said the coach when the ball hit the post.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
5	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	coach	coach	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
8	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	11	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	hit	hit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	ccomp	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	post	post	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the coach |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **hit** | past | the ball | the post |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme post=Co-Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Some people think a black cat crossing your path is unlucky.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x6:1
# text = Some people think a black cat crossing your path is unlucky.
1	Some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	2	det	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	think	think	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	black	black	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
7	crossing	cross	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	acl	_	_
8	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	path	path	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
11	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **think** *speech: other* | present | some people |  |  |  |  |  | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **cross** | gerund | a black cat *not said here* | your path |  |  |  |  | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent path=Patient |
| 3 | **is** | present | a black cat |  |  |  |  | unlucky *property* | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She was unlucky to miss the bus by one minute.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x7:1
# text = She was unlucky to miss the bus by one minute.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	miss	miss	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	bus	bus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	minute	minute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | She |  |  |  |  | unlucky *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **miss** | to-infinitive | She *not said here* | the bus |  |  | minute |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer bus=Stimulus |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unluckily, it rained on sports day.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x8:1
# text = Unluckily, it rained on sports day.
1	Unluckily	unluckily	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	rained	rain	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	sports	sport	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	compound	_	_
7	day	day	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 | **rain** | past | it |  |  |  | day | unluckily *property* | vn weather-57 «It V PP.theme» |

## Example 9 {#x9}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
But odd numbers are sometimes considered unlucky.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unlucky:x9:1
# text = But odd numbers are sometimes considered unlucky.
1	But	but	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
2	odd	odd	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	numbers	number	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
5	sometimes	sometimes	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	6	advmod	_	_
6	considered	consider	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	unlucky	unlucky	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **consider** | present · passive |  | odd numbers |  |  |  | sometimes, unlucky *property* | vn consider-29.9-1-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Attribute |

<!-- 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 -->
- ← previous: [unluckily](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unluckily/)
- next →: [unmanageable](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unmanageable/)
- ↑ back to [U in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/)