---
title: Is the hedgehog's «we was» a mistake by the writer? — The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, p… · tree and pragmatics
description: Is the hedgehog's «we was» a mistake by the writer? Test 6 · ★★★ of lesson 38 «The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 2: Mr. Badger (bad news of Toad, a winter promise, and two lost hedgehogs)» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question a
---

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# Test 6 · ★★★ · The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 2: Mr. Badger (b…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Is the hedgehog's «we was» a mistake by the writer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** be · **To what, where:** mistake

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 6 · ★★★ of lesson 38 «The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 2: Mr. Badger (bad news of Toad, a winter promise, and two lost hedgehogs)» 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/38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs/#t6).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs:t6:1
# text = Is the hedgehog's «we was» a mistake by the writer?
1	Is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	hedgehog	hedgehog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
11	by	by	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	writer	writer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | the hedgehog's mistake |  |  |  | by the writer | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No — it's how the hedgehog speaks, in his own local dialect of the countryside near the wood

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs:t6:o1:1
# text = No — it's how the hedgehog speaks, in his own local dialect of the countryside near the wood
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	8	discourse	_	_
2	—	-	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
5	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	hedgehog	hedgehog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	speaks	speak	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
11	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
12	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
13	local	local	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	dialect	dialect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	countryside	countryside	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
18	near	near	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	wood	wood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | it |  |  |  |  | speak *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes — the writer forgot the grammar rule, and the printer copied it wrongly from the page

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs:t6:o2:1
# text = Yes — the writer forgot the grammar rule, and the printer copied it wrongly from the page
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	5	discourse	_	_
2	—	-	PUNCT	:	_	5	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	writer	writer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	forgot	forget	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	grammar	grammar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	printer	printer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	_
13	copied	copy	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	_
15	wrongly	wrongly	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
16	from	from	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	page	page	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forget** | past | the writer | the grammar rule |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **copy** | past | the printer | rule |  | the page |  | wrongly *property* | vn scribble-25.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No — it's how the hedgehog speaks in his dialect

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs:t6:o3:1
# text = No — it's how the hedgehog speaks in his dialect
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	8	discourse	_	_
2	—	-	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
5	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	hedgehog	hedgehog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
8	speaks	speak	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	dialect	dialect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | it |  |  | hedgehog's dialect |  | speak *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, the writer got the grammar wrong here

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs:t6:o4:1
# text = Yes, the writer got the grammar wrong here
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	writer	writer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	grammar	grammar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	_
9	here	here	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | past | the writer | the grammar |  | here |  | wrong *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer grammar=Stimulus |

<!-- 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 -->

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- ← previous: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, p…, test 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs/t5/)
- next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, p…, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs/t7/)
- ↑ back to [The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 2: Mr. Badger (bad news of Toad, a winter promise, and two lost hedgehogs)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/38-willows-ch4-part2-toad-news-and-hedgehogs/)