---
title: Mum: "Stop hiding the letters, Steve, the longer you leave it the wo… — Borrowing and debt · tree and pragmatics
description: Mum: "Stop hiding the letters, Steve, the longer you leave it the worse it gets." What is true? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 8 «Borrowing and debt» 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 right.
---

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# Test 5 · ★★ · Borrowing and debt

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mum: "Stop hiding the letters, Steve, the longer you leave it the worse it gets." What is true?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Mum, you, it · **What happens:** stop, hide, leave, get, be · **To what, where:** letters, it

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This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 8 «Borrowing and debt» 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/8-borrowing-and-debt/#t5).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Mum: "Stop hiding the letters, Steve, the longer you leave it the worse it gets."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:8-borrowing-and-debt:t5:1
# text = Mum: "Stop hiding the letters, Steve, the longer you leave it the worse it gets."
1	Mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	4	punct	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	Stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	hiding	hide	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	xcomp	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	Steve	Steve	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	vocative	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	longer	long	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	14	advmod	_	_
13	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
14	leave	leave	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	worse	bad	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	14	xcomp	_	_
18	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	19	nsubj	_	_
19	gets	get	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	17	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** *in a quote* | infinitive | Mum |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Affector clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **hide** *in a quote* | gerund | Mum *not said here* | the letters |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent letter=Patient |
| 3 | **leave** *in a quote* | present | you | it |  |  |  | Steve *vocative*; bad, long *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |
| 4 | **get** *in a quote* | present | it |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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:* What is true?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:8-borrowing-and-debt:t5:2
# text = What is true?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | true *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Acting early on overdue bills is much easier

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:8-borrowing-and-debt:t5:o1:1
# text = Acting early on overdue bills is much easier
1	Acting	act	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	csubj	_	_
2	early	early	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	1	advmod	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	overdue	overdue	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	bills	bill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obl	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	much	much	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	easier	easy	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **act** | gerund |  |  |  | overdue bills |  | early *property* | vn act-114-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent on bill=Eventuality |
| 2 | **is** | present | Acting |  |  |  |  | easy *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ignoring the letters for long enough makes debts disappear

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:8-borrowing-and-debt:t5:o2:1
# text = Ignoring the letters for long enough makes debts disappear
1	Ignoring	ignore	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	csubj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	long	long	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	1	advmod	_	_
6	enough	enough	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	advmod	_	_
7	makes	make	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	debts	debt	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
9	disappear	disappear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ignore** | gerund |  | the letters |  |  |  | long *property* | vn neglect-75.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent letter=Theme |
| 2 | **make** | present | Ignoring | debts |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **disappear** | infinitive | debts *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Letters about money are always mistakes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:8-borrowing-and-debt:t5:o3:1
# text = Letters about money are always mistakes
1	Letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
2	about	about	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	6	advmod	_	_
6	mistakes	mistake	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Letters about money | mistakes |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hidden letters cannot be legally sent

```conllu
# sent_id = question:adult-life:8-borrowing-and-debt:t5:o4:1
# text = Hidden letters cannot be legally sent
1	Hidden	hidden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	aux:pass	_	_
6	legally	legally	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	sent	send	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **send** | can · passive |  | Hidden letters |  |  |  | legally *property* | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: subject=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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- ← previous: [Borrowing and debt, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/t4/)
- next →: [Borrowing and debt, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/t6/)
- ↑ back to [Borrowing and debt](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/)