---
title: utility — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «utility» in the school dictionary: A utility is a service like water, gas or electricity that people need in their homes. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# utility

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** utility, people, Mum, washing machine, tool, Utilities · **What happens:** be, need, mean, describe, pay, have · **To what, where:** service, gas, homes, usefulness, something, utility bills

<!-- .vabout -->
«utility» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 7 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: [utility in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/utility.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A utility is a service like water, gas or electricity that people need in their homes.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:m1:1
# text = A utility is a service like water, gas or electricity that people need in their homes.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	utility	utility	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	service	service	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	like	like	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	gas	gas	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	electricity	electricity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	_
12	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	14	obj	_	_
13	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nsubj	_	_
14	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
15	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	homes	home	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a utility | a service and gas or electricity |  |  |  | like water | tree rules |
| 2 | **need** | present | people | gas or electricity |  | people's homes |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot that=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 -->
Utility means usefulness (formal).

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:m2:1
# text = Utility means usefulness (formal).
1	Utility	utility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	usefulness	usefulness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	formal	formal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

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

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
As an adjective, utility describes something practical and useful: a utility room.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:m3:1
# text = As an adjective, utility describes something practical and useful: a utility room.
1	As	as	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	adjective	adjective	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	utility	utility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	describes	describe	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	obj	_	_
8	practical	practical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	useful	useful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	utility	utility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	room	room	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **describe** | present | utility | something |  |  |  | as a adjective; a utility room *obl* | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent something=Theme as adjective=Attribute |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mum pays the utility bills each month.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:x1:1
# text = Mum pays the utility bills each month.
1	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	pays	pay	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	utility	utility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	bills	bill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
6	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	month	month	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pay** | present | Mum | the utility bills |  |  | month |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bill=Asset |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The washing machine is in the utility room.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:x2:1
# text = The washing machine is in the utility room.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	washing	washing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	machine	machine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	utility	utility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	room	room	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** | present | the washing machine |  |  | the utility room |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The tool has great utility.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:x3:1
# text = The tool has great utility.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tool	tool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	utility	utility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | the tool | great utility |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent utility=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Utilities include gas, water and electricity.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:x4:1
# text = Utilities include gas, water and electricity.
1	Utilities	utility	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	include	include	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	gas	gas	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	electricity	electricity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **include** | present | Utilities | gas and water and electricity |  |  |  |  | vn involve-107.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent gas=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The company runs the local utilities.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:x5:1
# text = The company runs the local utilities.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	company	company	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	runs	run	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	local	local	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	utilities	utility	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **run** | present | the company | the local utilities |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme utility=Trajectory |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A sport utility vehicle is a big car.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:x6:1
# text = A sport utility vehicle is a big car.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	sport	sport	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	utility	utility	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	vehicle	vehicle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	car	car	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 a** | present | a utility vehicle | a big car |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Utility is most men's test of worth.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:utility:x7:1
# text = Utility is most men's test of worth.
1	Utility	Utility	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	most	most	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	6	amod	_	_
4	men	man	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	's	PART	POS	_	4	case	_	_
6	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	worth	worth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Utility | men's most test |  |  |  | of worth | tree rules |

<!-- 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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