---
title: withholding — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «withholding» in the school dictionary: Withholding means keeping something back and not giving it, when it was expected: «withholding information». Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# withholding

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Withholding, you, your, builders, Mum, I · **What happens:** mean, keep back, not give, expect, withhold, be · **To what, where:** something, Withholding, information, tax, pay, witness · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«withholding» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 6 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: [withholding in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/withholding.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Withholding means keeping something back and not giving it, when it was expected: «withholding information».

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:m1:1
# text = Withholding means keeping something back and not giving it, when it was expected: «withholding information».
1	Withholding	withholding	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	keeping	keep	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	xcomp	_	_
4	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	obj	_	_
5	back	back	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
7	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	giving	give	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	conj	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	14	advmod	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
13	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	expected	expect	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	17	punct	_	_
16	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	withholding	withhold	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	parataxis	_	_
18	information	information	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Withholding |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **keep back** *not said to happen* | gerund | Withholding *not said here* | something |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent something=Theme |
| 3 | **not** **give** | gerund | Withholding *not said here* | Withholding |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 4 | **expect** | past · passive |  | Withholding |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 5 | **withhold** *in a quote* | gerund |  | information |  |  |  |  | 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}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In some countries, especially the US, «withholding» is tax taken from your pay before you get it.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:m2:1
# text = In some countries, especially the US, «withholding» is tax taken from your pay before you get it.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	3	det	_	_
3	countries	country	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
5	especially	especially	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	US	US	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	withholding	withholding	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
13	tax	tax	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	_
14	taken	take	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	13	acl	_	_
15	from	from	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	pay	pay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
18	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	20	mark	_	_
19	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	20	nsubj	_	_
20	get	get	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	advcl	_	_
21	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	20	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | withholding | tax |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **take** | participle |  | tax *not said here* |  | your pay |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP PP.initial\_location»: agent=Agent from pay=Initial\_Location |
| 3 | **get** | present | you | withholding |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus |
| 4 | **pay** |  | your |  |  |  |  |  | nom pay «possession transitive»: poss=agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The witness was accused of withholding information from the police.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:x1:1
# text = The witness was accused of withholding information from the police.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	witness	witness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	accused	accuse	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	withholding	withholding	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	information	information	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	from	from	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	police	police	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **accuse** | past · passive |  | the witness |  |  |  | of withholding information from the police | vn suspect-81 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Theme of information=Attribute |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The builders are withholding the keys until the bill is paid.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:x2:1
# text = The builders are withholding the keys until the bill is paid.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	builders	builder	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	withholding	withhold	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	keys	key	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	bill	bill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	paid	pay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **withhold** | present · progressive | the builders | the keys |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **pay** | present · passive |  | the bill |  |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Asset |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mum is withholding my pocket money until I tidy my room.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:x3:1
# text = Mum is withholding my pocket money until I tidy my room.
1	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	withholding	withhold	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
5	pocket	pocket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
8	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	tidy	tidy	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
10	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	room	room	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **withhold** | present · progressive | Mum | my pocket money |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **tidy** | present | I | my room |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Withholding the truth can be a kind of lie.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:x4:1
# text = Withholding the truth can be a kind of lie.
1	Withholding	withhold	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	csubj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	lie	lie	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **withhold** | gerund |  | the truth |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | can | Withholding | a kind |  |  |  | of lie | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The shop is withholding payment because the order was wrong.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:x5:1
# text = The shop is withholding payment because the order was wrong.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	shop	shop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	withholding	withhold	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	payment	payment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
6	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	order	order	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **withhold** | present · progressive | the shop | payment |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | past | the order | payment *not said here* |  |  |  | wrong *property* | tree rules |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dad's pay slip shows how much tax was withheld.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:withholding:x6:1
# text = Dad's pay slip shows how much tax was withheld.
1	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	pay	pay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	slip	slip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	shows	show	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	7	advmod	_	_
7	much	much	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	tax	tax	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	withheld	withhold	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | Dad's pay slip |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **withhold** | past · passive |  | much tax |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **slip** |  | Dad |  |  |  |  |  | nom slip «act intransitive»: poss=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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