---
title: By what means did the narrator's wife transform him into an animal o… — Arabian Nights, The Man Who Became a D… · tree and pragmatics
description: By what means did the narrator's wife transform him into an animal of the canine kind? Exam question 2 of lesson 217 «Arabian Nights, The Man Who Became a Dog, part 57: a secret midnight feast, a curse, and a dog in a cookshop» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree a
---

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# Exam question 2 · Arabian Nights, The Man Who Became a Dog, part 57: a secre…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By what means did the narrator's wife transform him into an animal of the canine kind?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** wife · **What happens:** mean, do, transform · **To what, where:** him

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 217 «Arabian Nights, The Man Who Became a Dog, part 57: a secret midnight feast, a curse, and a dog in a cookshop» 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/217-pg128-part57/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:217-pg128-part57:e2:1
# text = By what means did the narrator's wife transform him into an animal of the canine kind?
1	By	by	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
4	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	narrator	narrator	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	wife	wife	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	transform	transform	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
10	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	into	into	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	canine	canine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **do** | past |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality |
| 3 | **transform** | present | the narrator's wife | him *= he* |  |  |  | into a animal of the canine kind *result* | vn turn-26.6.1 «NP V NP.patient PP.result»: agent=Agent he=Patient into animal=Result |

<!-- .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 -->
By chanting over him for hours, then tearing his shirt and leaving him to crawl home alone

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:217-pg128-part57:e2:o1:1
# text = By chanting over him for hours, then tearing his shirt and leaving him to crawl home alone
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	chanting	chant	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	over	over	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obl	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	hours	hour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	9	advmod	_	_
9	tearing	tear	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	conj	_	_
10	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	shirt	shirt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	leaving	leave	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	conj	_	_
14	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	16	mark	_	_
16	crawl	crawl	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	xcomp	_	_
17	home	home	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
18	alone	alone	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **chant** | gerund |  |  |  |  | hour | over him *= he* | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **tear** | gerund |  | his shirt |  |  | then |  | vn run-51.3.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Initial\_Location shirt=Theme |
| 3 | **leave** | gerund |  | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **crawl** | to-infinitive | him *= he* *not said here* |  |  |  |  | alone, home *property* | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By burning his clothes at dawn

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:217-pg128-part57:e2:o2:1
# text = By burning his clothes at dawn
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	burning	burn	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	clothes	clothes	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	2	obj	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	dawn	dawn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **burn** | gerund |  | his clothes |  |  | dawn |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent clothes=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By striking him with a stick

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:217-pg128-part57:e2:o3:1
# text = By striking him with a stick
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	striking	strike	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obj	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	stick	stick	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **strike** | gerund |  | him *= he* |  |  |  | with a stick | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent he=Patient with stick=Instrument |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
By sprinkling water upon him and pronouncing a curse

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:217-pg128-part57:e2:o4:1
# text = By sprinkling water upon him and pronouncing a curse
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	2	mark	_	_
2	sprinkling	sprinkle	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
3	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	obl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	pronouncing	pronounce	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	conj	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	curse	curse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sprinkle** | gerund |  | water |  |  |  | upon him *= he* | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent water=Theme upon he=Destination |
| 2 | **pronounce** | gerund |  | a curse |  |  |  |  | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent curse=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: [Arabian Nights, The Man Who Became a D…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/217-pg128-part57/e1/)
- next →: [Arabian Nights, The Man Who Became a D…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/217-pg128-part57/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Arabian Nights, The Man Who Became a Dog, part 57: a secret midnight feast, a curse, and a dog in a cookshop](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/217-pg128-part57/)