---
title: Why do they wait until it's dark? — West Highland Tales, The Steed of Bell… · tree and pragmatics
description: Why do they wait until it's dark? Test 10 · ★ of lesson 1516 «West Highland Tales, The Steed of Bells, part 13: the three princes set out with the Thief of Sloan to reach the Knight's castle» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of
---

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# Test 10 · ★ · West Highland Tales, The Steed of Bells, part 13: the thre…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why do they wait until it's dark?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** they, it · **What happens:** wait, be

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 10 · ★ of lesson 1516 «West Highland Tales, The Steed of Bells, part 13: the three princes set out with the Thief of Sloan to reach the Knight's castle» of the books 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/books/1516-pg540-part13/#t10).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1516-pg540-part13:t10:1
# text = Why do they wait until it's dark?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	wait	wait	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | present · do-support | they |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | it |  |  |  |  | dark *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.

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Everyone's asleep, that's the only chance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1516-pg540-part13:t10:o1:1
# text = Everyone's asleep, that's the only chance
1	Everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	asleep	asleep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	only	only	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	chance	chance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Everyone |  |  |  |  | asleep *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | that | the only chance |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Everyone's asleep by then, that's the only real chance they've got

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1516-pg540-part13:t10:o2:1
# text = Everyone's asleep by then, that's the only real chance they've got
1	Everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	asleep	asleep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	12	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
10	only	only	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
11	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	chance	chance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
13	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	've	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
15	got	get	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	12	acl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Everyone |  |  |  |  | asleep *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | that | the only real chance |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **get** | present · perfect | they | the only real chance *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer chance=Stimulus |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because at night everyone's asleep and the steed is easy to take then

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1516-pg540-part13:t10:o3:1
# text = Because at night everyone's asleep and the steed is easy to take then
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
2	at	at	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
4	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	asleep	asleep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	steed	steed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
11	easy	easy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	conj	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	take	take	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	csubj	_	_
14	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	13	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | everyone |  |  |  | night | asleep *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | the steed |  |  |  |  | easy *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **take** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  | then |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Everyone's out hunting, so it's easier

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1516-pg540-part13:t10:o4:1
# text = Everyone's out hunting, so it's easier
1	Everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	out	out	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	hunting	hunt	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
6	so	so	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	expl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	easier	easy	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hunt** | present · progressive | Everyone |  |  |  |  | out *property* | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | Everyone *not said here* |  |  |  |  | easy *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.

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- ← previous: [West Highland Tales, The Steed of Bell…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1516-pg540-part13/t9/)
- next →: [West Highland Tales, The Steed of Bell…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1516-pg540-part13/t11/)
- ↑ back to [West Highland Tales, The Steed of Bells, part 13: the three princes set out with the Thief of Sloan to reach the Knight's castle](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1516-pg540-part13/)