---
title: A dad in Boston says the big lad on tuba is "wicked funny" (very fun… — Instrument families: strings, wind, br… · tree and pragmatics
description: A dad in Boston says the big lad on tuba is "wicked funny" (very funny). What is the truth about tuba and size? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 9 «Instrument families: strings, wind, brass, percussion, keys» of the arts course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question a
---

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# Test 5 · ★★ · Instrument families: strings, wind, brass, percussion, keys

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A dad in Boston says the big lad on tuba is "wicked funny" (very funny). What is the truth about tuba and size?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** dad, big lad, truth · **What happens:** say, be · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 9 «Instrument families: strings, wind, brass, percussion, keys» of the arts 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/arts/9-instrument-families-strings-wind-brass-percussion-keys/#t5).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A dad in Boston says the big lad on tuba is "wicked funny" (very funny).

```conllu
# sent_id = question:arts:9-instrument-families-strings-wind-brass-percussion-keys:t5:1
# text = A dad in Boston says the big lad on tuba is "wicked funny" (very funny).
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Boston	Boston	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	says	say	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	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	lad	lad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
9	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	tuba	tuba	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
12	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	wicked	wicked	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
16	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	very	very	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
18	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a dad in Boston |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | the big lad on tuba |  |  |  |  | funny *property* | 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:* What is the truth about tuba and size?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:arts:9-instrument-families-strings-wind-brass-percussion-keys:t5:2
# text = What is the truth about tuba and size?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
5	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	tuba	tuba	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	size	size	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the truth about tuba and size |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tubas make high notes because they're big

```conllu
# sent_id = question:arts:9-instrument-families-strings-wind-brass-percussion-keys:t5:o1:1
# text = Tubas make high notes because they're big
1	Tubas	tuba	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	high	high	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	notes	note	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | Tubas | high notes |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset note=Product |
| 2 | **is** | present | Tubas *= tuba* |  |  |  |  | big *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tubas shrink to fit the player

```conllu
# sent_id = question:arts:9-instrument-families-strings-wind-brass-percussion-keys:t5:o2:1
# text = Tubas shrink to fit the player
1	Tubas	tuba	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	shrink	shrink	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	fit	fit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	advcl	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	player	player	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shrink** | present | Tubas |  |  |  |  |  | vn bend-45.2 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **fit** | to-infinitive | Tubas *not said here* | the player |  |  |  |  | vn adjust-26.9 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent player=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only big people are allowed to play a tuba in a band

```conllu
# sent_id = question:arts:9-instrument-families-strings-wind-brass-percussion-keys:t5:o3:1
# text = Only big people are allowed to play a tuba in a band
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	allowed	allow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	play	play	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	tuba	tuba	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	band	band	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **allow** | present · passive |  | big people |  |  |  |  | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V NP S»: subject=Beneficiary clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **play** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | big people *not said here* | a tuba |  | a band |  |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tuba=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Anyone can play a tuba, and it plays low because it is big

```conllu
# sent_id = question:arts:9-instrument-families-strings-wind-brass-percussion-keys:t5:o4:1
# text = Anyone can play a tuba, and it plays low because it is big
1	Anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	play	play	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	tuba	tuba	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	plays	play	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
10	low	low	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **play** | can | Anyone | a tuba |  |  |  |  | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tuba=Theme |
| 2 | **play** | present | tuba |  |  |  |  | low *property* | vn performance-26.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | present | tuba |  |  |  |  | big *property* | tree rules |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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