---
title: Overheard: "I'm sorry, BUT if you hadn't nagged me..." Why is this a… — Sorry, white lies and «because I said… · tree and pragmatics
description: Overheard: "I'm sorry, BUT if you hadn't nagged me..." Why is this a weak apology? Test 3 · ★★ of lesson 37 «Sorry, white lies and «because I said so»» 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 wro
---

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# Test 3 · ★★ · Sorry, white lies and «because I said so»

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Overheard: "I'm sorry, BUT if you hadn't nagged me..." Why is this a weak apology?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** I, you, this · **What happens:** overhear, be, not nag · **To what, where:** me, weak apology

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★★ of lesson 37 «Sorry, white lies and «because I said so»» 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/37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Overheard: "I'm sorry, BUT if you hadn't nagged me..."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so:t3:1
# text = Overheard: "I'm sorry, BUT if you hadn't nagged me..."
1	Overheard	overhear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	6	punct	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	'm	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	sorry	sorry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
8	BUT	but	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
9	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
10	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
11	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	nagged	nag	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	6	conj	_	_
14	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	...	...	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **overhear** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn sight-30.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | I |  |  |  |  | sorry *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **not** **nag** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | past · perfect | you | me |  |  |  |  | vn bully-59.5 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent i=Patient |

<!-- .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:* Why is this a weak apology?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so:t3:2
# text = Why is this a weak apology?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
3	this	this	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	6	nsubj	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	weak	weak	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	apology	apology	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** | present | this | a weak apology |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is too short to count

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so:t3:o1:1
# text = It is too short to count
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	too	too	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	count	count	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | short *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **count** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It doesn't use the word "sorry"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so:t3:o2:1
# text = It doesn't use the word "sorry"
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	use	use	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	sorry	sorry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **use** | present · do-support | It | the word |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent word=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was said in a quiet voice

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so:t3:o3:1
# text = It was said in a quiet voice
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	quiet	quiet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	voice	voice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past · passive |  | It |  | a quiet voice |  |  | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: subject=Theme in voice=Manner |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The "but" blames the other person

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so:t3:o4:1
# text = The "but" blames the other person
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
5	blames	blame	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **blame** | present |  | the other person |  |  |  |  | vn judgment-33.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent person=Theme |

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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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