---
title: Mate, why'd the cat not speak to the dog? — Pink Fairy Book, Prince Mirliflor, par… · tree and pragmatics
description: Mate, why'd the cat not speak to the dog? Test 2 · ★ of lesson 1875 «Pink Fairy Book, Prince Mirliflor, part 12: the watch falls into the sea and the fairies choose a new Queen» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; 
---

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# Test 2 · ★ · Pink Fairy Book, Prince Mirliflor, part 12: the watch fall…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mate, why'd the cat not speak to the dog?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** cat · **What happens:** not speak · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 · ★ of lesson 1875 «Pink Fairy Book, Prince Mirliflor, part 12: the watch falls into the sea and the fairies choose a new Queen» 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/1875-pg7277-part12/#t2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1875-pg7277-part12:t2:1
# text = Mate, why'd the cat not speak to the dog?
1	Mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	vocative	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	'd	'd	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
7	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	speak	speak	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **speak** *speech: other* | infinitive | the cat |  |  |  |  | to the dog; Mate *vocative* | vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.co-agent»: agent=Agent to dog=Co-Agent |

<!-- .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 -->
He was scared of dropping the watch

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1875-pg7277-part12:t2:o1:1
# text = He was scared of dropping the watch
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	scared	scared	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	dropping	drop	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	watch	watch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | He |  |  |  |  | scared *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **drop** | gerund | He *not said here* | the watch |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent watch=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cos the dog had told him off for scratching the box earlier

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1875-pg7277-part12:t2:o2:1
# text = Cos the dog had told him off for scratching the box earlier
1	Cos	cos	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	told	tell	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	iobj	_	_
7	off	off	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
8	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	scratching	scratch	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	box	box	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	earlier	early	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	9	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell off** *speech: assert* | past · perfect · passive |  | the dog | him *= he* |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: subject=Recipient he=Topic |
| 2 | **scratch** | gerund |  | the box |  |  |  | early *property* | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent box=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was sulking at the dog

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1875-pg7277-part12:t2:o3:1
# text = He was sulking at the dog
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|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	_	_
3	sulking	sulk	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sulk** | past · progressive | He |  |  |  |  | at the dog | vn marvel-31.3 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was scared he'd drop the watch in the sea and it'd be gone

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:1875-pg7277-part12:t2:o4:1
# text = He was scared he'd drop the watch in the sea and it'd be gone
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	scared	scared	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	'd	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	drop	drop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	ccomp	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	watch	watch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	'd	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	16	aux	_	_
15	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	aux:pass	_	_
16	gone	go	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | He |  |  |  |  | scared *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **drop** | would | he | the watch |  | the sea |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent watch=Theme in sea=Destination |
| 3 | **go** | would · passive |  | watch |  |  |  |  | vn meander-47.7 «PP.location 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: [Pink Fairy Book, Prince Mirliflor, par…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1875-pg7277-part12/t1/)
- next →: [Pink Fairy Book, Prince Mirliflor, par…, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1875-pg7277-part12/t3/)
- ↑ back to [Pink Fairy Book, Prince Mirliflor, part 12: the watch falls into the sea and the fairies choose a new Queen](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/1875-pg7277-part12/)