---
title: What was the function of the otter's pledge within the tale? — More Celtic Fairy Tales, The Fisherman… · tree and pragmatics
description: What was the function of the otter's pledge within the tale? Exam question 3 of lesson 2007 «More Celtic Fairy Tales, The Fisherman's Son, part 1: a poor fisherman promises his first son to the sea-maiden, and the son sets out» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree a
---

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# Exam question 3 · More Celtic Fairy Tales, The Fisherman's Son, part 1: a po…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What was the function of the otter's pledge within the tale?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** function, otter · **What happens:** be, pledge

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 2007 «More Celtic Fairy Tales, The Fisherman's Son, part 1: a poor fisherman promises his first son to the sea-maiden, and the son sets out» of the books course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. 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/2007-pg7885-part26/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:2007-pg7885-part26:e3:1
# text = What was the function of the otter's pledge within the tale?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	otter	otter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	's	's	PART	POS	_	7	case	_	_
9	pledge	pledge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
10	within	within	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	tale	tale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | the function of the otter's pledge within the tale |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **pledge** |  | the otter |  |  |  |  | within the tale | nom pledge «possession transitive»: poss=agent within=obl |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To promise aid where swimming would be useful

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:2007-pg7885-part26:e3:o1:1
# text = To promise aid where swimming would be useful
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	promise	promise	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	aid	aid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
4	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	5	advmod	_	_
5	swimming	swim	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
6	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
8	useful	useful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **promise** *speech: promise* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn promise-37.13 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **swim** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **is** | would | aid |  |  |  |  | useful *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To promise help in the water and to carry the herd safely across the river when the giant's men came

<!-- fold The tree, 21 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:2007-pg7885-part26:e3:o2:1
# text = To promise help in the water and to carry the herd safely across the river when the giant's men came
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	promise	promise	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	help	help	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	carry	carry	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	herd	herd	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	safely	safely	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
13	across	across	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
16	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	21	advmod	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	giant	giant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	's	's	PART	POS	_	18	case	_	_
20	men	man	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	21	nsubj	_	_
21	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **promise** *speech: promise* | to-infinitive |  | help |  | the water |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent help=Theme |
| 2 | **carry** | to-infinitive |  | the herd |  | the river |  | safely *property* | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent herd=Theme |
| 3 | **come** | past | the giant's men |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To give him a lift across the wide river

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:2007-pg7885-part26:e3:o3:1
# text = To give him a lift across the wide river
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	give	give	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	iobj	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	lift	lift	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	across	across	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	wide	wide	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | to-infinitive |  | a lift | him *= he* | the wide river |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent he=Recipient lift=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To offer the herd a safe passage through the deep lake and to rescue the dog from the flood

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:2007-pg7885-part26:e3:o4:1
# text = To offer the herd a safe passage through the deep lake and to rescue the dog from the flood
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	offer	offer	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	herd	herd	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	safe	safe	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	passage	passage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
8	through	through	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	deep	deep	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	lake	lake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	rescue	rescue	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
17	from	from	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	flood	flood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **offer** | to-infinitive |  | the herd |  | the deep lake |  |  | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.goal NP»: agent=Agent herd=Goal passage=Theme |
| 2 | **rescue** | to-infinitive |  | the dog |  | the flood |  |  | vn steal-10.5 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent dog=Theme from flood=Source |

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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: [More Celtic Fairy Tales, The Fisherman…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/2007-pg7885-part26/e2/)
- next →: [More Celtic Fairy Tales, The Fisherman…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/2007-pg7885-part26/e4/)
- ↑ back to [More Celtic Fairy Tales, The Fisherman's Son, part 1: a poor fisherman promises his first son to the sea-maiden, and the son sets out](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/2007-pg7885-part26/)