---
title: wit — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «wit» in the school dictionary: Wit is the ability to say clever and funny things quickly. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# wit

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Wit, person, Wits, old formal way, that, quick wit · **What happens:** be, say, think, keep, wit, make · **To what, where:** ability, clever things, person, wits, old formal way, whole class · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«wit» in the school dictionary: its 4 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: [wit in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wit.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wit is the ability to say clever and funny things quickly.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:m1:1
# text = Wit is the ability to say clever and funny things quickly.
1	Wit	wit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	ability	ability	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	acl	_	_
7	clever	clever	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	conj	_	_
10	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
11	quickly	quickly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Wit | the ability |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  | clever things |  |  |  | quickly *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent thing=Topic |

<!-- .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 -->
A wit is a person who is clever and funny with words.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:m2:1
# text = A wit is a person who is clever and funny with words.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	wit	wit	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	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	clever	clever	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	acl:relcl	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	conj	_	_
11	with	with	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a wit | a person |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | a person |  |  |  |  | with words; clever *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **be** |  | a person *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wits (plural) are your ability to think clearly and quickly: «keep your wits about you».

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:m3:1
# text = Wits (plural) are your ability to think clearly and quickly: «keep your wits about you».
1	Wits	wit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
2	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	plural	plural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	3	punct	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	ability	ability	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	think	think	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	acl	_	_
10	clearly	clearly	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	quickly	quickly	ADV	RB	_	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	15	punct	_	_
14	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	7	parataxis	_	_
16	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	wits	wit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	obj	_	_
18	about	about	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	15	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Wits | your ability |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **think** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | clearly *property* | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **keep** *in a quote* | infinitive |  | your wits |  |  |  | about you | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent wit=Theme about you=Location |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«To wit» is an old, formal way of saying «that is to say» or «namely».

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:m4:1
# text = «To wit» is an old, formal way of saying «that is to say» or «namely».
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	To	to	PART	TO	_	3	mark	_	_
3	wit	wit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	csubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
6	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
7	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
9	formal	formal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
11	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
12	saying	say	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	10	acl	_	_
13	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	17	nsubj:outer	_	_
15	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	cop	_	_
16	to	to	PART	TO	_	17	mark	_	_
17	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	17	punct	_	_
19	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	21	cc	_	_
20	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	21	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	namely	namely	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	21	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wit** *in a quote* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present |  | a old formal way |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | gerund | a old formal way *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 4 | **is** *in a quote* | present | that |  |  |  |  | say *property* | tree rules |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Her quick wit made the whole class laugh.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x1:1
# text = Her quick wit made the whole class laugh.
1	Her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	quick	quick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	wit	wit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	whole	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	class	class	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	laugh	laugh	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | past | Her quick wit | the whole class |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **laugh** | infinitive | the whole class *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Oscar Wilde was a famous wit.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x2:1
# text = Oscar Wilde was a famous wit.
1	Oscar	Oscar	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
2	Wilde	Wilde	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	flat	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	famous	famous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	wit	wit	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** | past | Oscar | a famous wit |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Keep your wits about you when crossing busy roads.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x3:1
# text = Keep your wits about you when crossing busy roads.
1	Keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	wits	wit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	about	about	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	1	obl	_	_
6	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
7	crossing	cross	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	_
8	busy	busy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	roads	road	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | imperative | you *not said here* | your wits |  |  |  | about you | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent wit=Theme about you=Location |
| 2 | **cross** | gerund | you *not said here* | busy roads |  |  |  |  | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent road=Patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mum was at her wits' end when the dog ran away.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x4:1
# text = Mum was at her wits' end when the dog ran away.
1	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	wits	wit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	'	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	11	advmod	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	ran	run	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
12	away	away	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | Mum |  |  |  | at her wits's end |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **run away** | past | the dog |  |  |  |  | away *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The ghost story scared me out of my wits.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x5:1
# text = The ghost story scared me out of my wits.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	ghost	ghost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	scared	scare	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	out	out	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	wits	wit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **scare** | past | the ghost story | me |  | my wits |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus i=Experiencer |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The puzzle was a real battle of wits.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x6:1
# text = The puzzle was a real battle of wits.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	puzzle	puzzle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	battle	battle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	wits	wit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	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** | past | the puzzle | a real battle |  |  |  | of wits | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
(old, formal) There were three winners, to wit: Ava, Ben and Chloe.

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x7:1
# text = (old, formal) There were three winners, to wit: Ava, Ben and Chloe.
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
4	formal	formal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
6	There	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	7	expl	_	_
7	were	be	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	advcl	_	_
8	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	9	nummod	_	_
9	winners	winner	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	wit	wit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
14	Ava	Ava	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
16	Ben	Ben	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	conj	_	_
17	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	18	cc	_	_
18	Chloe	Chloe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **be** | past | old |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **wit** | to-infinitive |  | Ava and Ben and Chloe |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gathering his wits together, he said:

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:wit:x8:1
# text = Gathering his wits together, he said:
1	Gathering	gather	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
2	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	wits	wit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	together	together	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
6	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **gather** | gerund | he *not said here* | his wits |  |  |  | together *property* | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wit=Theme |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | he |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [wistfulness](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wistfulness/)
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