---
title: Your brother says "Mum saw a solicitor, so she's in trouble with the… — When parents separate · tree and pragmatics
description: Your brother says "Mum saw a solicitor, so she's in trouble with the police". Put him right. Test 3 · ★★ of lesson 15 «When parents separate» of the adult life course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 3 · ★★ · When parents separate

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Your brother says "Mum saw a solicitor, so she's in trouble with the police". Put him right.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** brother, Mum, you · **What happens:** say, see, be, put · **To what, where:** solicitor, trouble, brother · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★★ of lesson 15 «When parents separate» of the adult life course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/adult-life/15-when-parents-separate/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Your brother says "Mum saw a solicitor, so she's in trouble with the police".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:t3:1
# text = Your brother says "Mum saw a solicitor, so she's in trouble with the police".
1	Your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	Mum	Mum	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	saw	see	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	solicitor	solicitor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
11	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	trouble	trouble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
15	with	with	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	police	police	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	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 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Your brother |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **see** *in a quote* | past | Mum | a solicitor |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer solicitor=Stimulus |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | Mum |  |  | trouble |  | with the police | 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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Put him right.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:t3:2
# text = Put him right.
1	Put	put	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	right	right	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **put** | imperative | you *not said here* |  | brother |  |  | right *property* | vn invest-13.5.4-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent he=Goal |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, solicitors are a kind of police officer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:t3:o1:1
# text = Yes, solicitors are a kind of police officer
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	solicitors	solicitor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	police	police	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	officer	officer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | solicitors | a kind |  |  |  | of police officer | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, a solicitor is a doctor for families

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:t3:o2:1
# text = No, a solicitor is a doctor for families
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	solicitor	solicitor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	doctor	doctor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	families	family	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a solicitor | a doctor |  |  |  | for families | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, a solicitor helps with legal paperwork like a divorce

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:t3:o3:1
# text = No, a solicitor helps with legal paperwork like a divorce
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	solicitor	solicitor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	helps	help	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	legal	legal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	paperwork	paperwork	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	divorce	divorce	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present | a solicitor |  |  |  |  | with legal paperwork like a divorce | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent with paperwork=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, solicitors only see people who have broken the law

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:15-when-parents-separate:t3:o4:1
# text = Yes, solicitors only see people who have broken the law
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	solicitors	solicitor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	see	see	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	_
7	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	9	nsubj	_	_
8	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	6	acl:relcl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **see** | present | solicitors | people |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer people=Stimulus |
| 2 | **break** | present · perfect | people | the law |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer law=Patient |

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **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 text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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