---
title: «my mate says the shriek from the church tower is a ghost, swear dow… — Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle ow… · tree and pragmatics
description: «my mate says the shriek from the church tower is a ghost, swear down» What is the truth? Test 3 of lesson 301 «Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle owls, elf owls and burrowing owls» of the biology course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each o
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls/t3/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/) / [Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle ow…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls/) / t3

# Test 3 · Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle owls, elf owls and bur…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«my mate says the shriek from the church tower is a ghost, swear down» What is the truth?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** mate, shriek · **What happens:** say, be, swear down · **To what, where:** ghost, truth · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 of lesson 301 «Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle owls, elf owls and burrowing owls» of the biology 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/biology/301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls/#t3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t3:1
# text = «my mate says the shriek from the church tower is a ghost, swear down» What is the truth?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	shriek	shriek	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	church	church	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	tower	tower	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	ghost	ghost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
15	swear	swear	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	ccomp	_	_
16	down	down	ADP	RP	_	15	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	_
18	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	21	nsubj	_	_
19	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	cop	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | present | my mate |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | the shriek from the church tower | a ghost |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **swear down** *in a quote* | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 4 | **is a** | present |  | the truth |  |  |  |  | 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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Owls only hoot, so it must be a ghost

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t3:o1:1
# text = Owls only hoot, so it must be a ghost
1	Owls	owl	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	hoot	hoot	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
5	so	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
7	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
8	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	cop	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	ghost	ghost	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hoot** | present | Owls |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | must | it | a ghost |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only bats shriek at night, so it must be a bat in the tower

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t3:o2:1
# text = Only bats shriek at night, so it must be a bat in the tower
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	bats	bat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	shriek	shriek	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
7	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
9	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	cop	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	bat	bat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	tower	tower	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shriek** | present | bats |  |  |  | night |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | must | it | a bat |  | the tower |  |  | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is very likely a barn owl, which shrieks instead of hooting

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t3:o3:1
# text = It is very likely a barn owl, which shrieks instead of hooting
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	very	very	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	likely	likely	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	barn	barn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	owl	owl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
10	shrieks	shriek	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
11	instead	instead	ADV	RB	ExtPos=SCONJ	13	mark	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	fixed	_	_
13	hooting	hoot	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | likely *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **shriek** | present | a barn owl |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **hoot** | gerund | a barn owl *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ghosts really live in church towers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:biology:301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls:t3:o4:1
# text = Ghosts really live in church towers
1	Ghosts	ghost	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	really	really	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	live	live	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	church	church	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	towers	tower	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present | Ghosts |  |  | church towers |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in tower=Location |

<!-- div src -->

**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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle ow…, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls/t2/)
- next →: [Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle ow…, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls/t4/)
- ↑ back to [Owls of the world: barn owls, eagle owls, elf owls and burrowing owls](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/biology/301-owls-of-the-world-barn-owls-eagle-owls-elf-owls-and-burrowing-owls/)