---
title: vocative — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «vocative» in the school dictionary: In grammar, the vocative is the word or name used to speak directly to someone, as in «Tom, come here!». Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# vocative

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** vocative, Tom, name, you, Sam, 's · **What happens:** be, use, speak, come, change, call · **To what, where:** word, grammar, special case, languages, ending, someone · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«vocative» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 5 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: [vocative in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/vocative.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In grammar, the vocative is the word or name used to speak directly to someone, as in «Tom, come here!».

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:vocative:m1:1
# text = In grammar, the vocative is the word or name used to speak directly to someone, as in «Tom, come here!».
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	grammar	grammar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	vocative	vocative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	_
11	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	speak	speak	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	xcomp	_	_
14	directly	directly	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
15	to	to	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	23	punct	_	_
18	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	23	mark	_	_
19	in	in	SCONJ	IN	_	23	mark	_	_
20	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	23	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	Tom	Tom	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	23	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
23	come	come	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	parataxis	_	_
24	here	here	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	23	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	23	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	23	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the vocative | the word or name |  | grammar |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **use** | participle |  | the word or name *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **speak** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | to someone | vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.co-agent»: agent=Agent to someone=Co-Agent |
| 4 | **come** *in a quote* | infinitive | Tom |  |  | here |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=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 -->
In some languages (Latin, Ukrainian, Polish), the vocative is a special case: the name changes its ending when you call someone (Ukrainian «Ivan» becomes «Ivane»).

<!-- fold The tree, 25 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:vocative:m2:1
# text = In some languages (Latin, Ukrainian, Polish), the vocative is a special case: the name changes its ending when you call someone (Ukrainian «Ivan» becomes «Ivane»).
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	3	det	_	_
3	languages	language	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	obl	_	_
4	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	Latin	Latin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	Ukrainian	ukrainian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	Polish	polish	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	vocative	vocative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	special	special	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	case	case	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	21	punct	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nsubj	_	_
21	changes	change	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	parataxis	_	_
22	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	23	nmod:poss	_	_
23	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	obj	_	_
24	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	26	mark	_	_
25	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	26	nsubj	_	_
26	call	call	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	33	advcl	_	_
27	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	26	obj	_	_
28	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	29	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	Ukrainian	ukrainian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	27	amod	_	_
30	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	31	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
31	Ivan	Ivan	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	29	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
32	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	31	punct	_	_
33	becomes	become	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	parataxis	_	_
34	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	35	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
35	Ivane	Ivane	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	33	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
36	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	35	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
37	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	21	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
38	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	17	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the vocative | a special case |  | some languages |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **change** | present | the name | name's ending |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ending=Patient |
| 3 | **call** | present | you |  | someone |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent someone=Recipient |
| 4 | **become** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient |
| 5 | **end** |  | name |  |  |  |  |  | nom ending «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In «Hurry up, Sam», «Sam» is a vocative.

<!-- fold The tree, 8 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:vocative:x1:1
# text = In «Hurry up, Sam», «Sam» is a vocative.
1	In	in	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	Hurry	hurry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	advcl	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
6	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	vocative	vocative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hurry up** *in a quote* | infinitive | Sam *not said here* | Sam |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent sam=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | present | Sam | a vocative |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Use a comma before the vocative: «Thanks, Dad.»

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:vocative:x2:1
# text = Use a comma before the vocative: «Thanks, Dad.»
1	Use	use	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	comma	comma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	before	before	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	vocative	vocative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	Thanks	thanks	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | imperative | you *not said here* | a comma |  |  | before the vocative |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent comma=Patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Let's eat, Grandma!» — the comma saves Grandma.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:vocative:x3:1
# text = «Let's eat, Grandma!» — the comma saves Grandma.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Let	let	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	eat	eat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	Grandma	grandma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	vocative	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
9	—	-	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	comma	comma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	saves	save	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
13	Grandma	Grandma	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **let** *in a quote* | imperative | you *not said here* | 's |  |  |  | Grandma *vocative* | tree rules |
| 2 | **eat** *in a quote* | infinitive | 's *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **save** | present | the comma | Grandma |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent grandma=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In Ukrainian, «mama» becomes «mamo» in the vocative.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:vocative:x4:1
# text = In Ukrainian, «mama» becomes «mamo» in the vocative.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	Ukrainian	Ukrainian	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	mama	mama	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
7	becomes	become	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	mamo	mamo	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	vocative	vocative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **become** | present | mama | mamo |  |  |  | in Ukrainian *result*; in the vocative | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient in ukrainian=Result |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«O Lord» is an old vocative used in prayers.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:vocative:x5:1
# text = «O Lord» is an old vocative used in prayers.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	O	o	INTJ	UH	_	3	discourse	_	_
3	Lord	Lord	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	vocative	vocative	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	prayers	prayer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Lord | a old vocative |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **use** | participle |  | a old vocative *not said here* |  | prayers |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: 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 -->

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