---
title: Wait, Brer Fox wanted water in a sifter? — Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Buzz… · tree and pragmatics
description: Wait, Brer Fox wanted water in a sifter? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 580 «Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Buzzard, part 16: Rabbit tricks Buzzard into carrying him home from the island» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each optio
---

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# Test 8 · ★ · Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Buzzard, part 16: Rabbit…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wait, Brer Fox wanted water in a sifter?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, Brer · **What happens:** wait, want · **To what, where:** water, sifter

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 580 «Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Buzzard, part 16: Rabbit tricks Buzzard into carrying him home from the island» 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/580-pg2306-part16/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:580-pg2306-part16:t8:1
# text = Wait, Brer Fox wanted water in a sifter?
1	Wait	wait	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	Brer	Brer	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	Fox	Fox	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	flat	_	_
5	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	_
6	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	sifter	sifter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **want** | past | Brer | water |  | a sifter |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot water=Theme |

<!-- .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 -->
Yep, he told them to fetch water in it from the well out back for his supper

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:580-pg2306-part16:t8:o1:1
# text = Yep, he told them to fetch water in it from the well out back for his supper
1	Yep	yep	INTJ	UH	_	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	told	tell	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	iobj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	fetch	fetch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
8	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obl	_	_
11	from	from	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	well	well	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
14	out	out	ADP	RP	_	7	compound:prt	_	_
15	back	back	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
16	for	for	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	18	nmod:poss	_	_
18	supper	supper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | he |  | them *= they* |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent they=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **fetch out** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | he *not said here* | water |  | water |  | from the well; for his supper | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP PP.source NP.asset»: agent=Agent water=Theme from well=Source for supper=Asset |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yep, he sent 'em to fetch water in it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:580-pg2306-part16:t8:o2:1
# text = Yep, he sent 'em to fetch water in it
1	Yep	yep	INTJ	UH	_	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	sent	send	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	'em	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	fetch	fetch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
8	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | past | he | 'em *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Theme |
| 2 | **fetch** | to-infinitive | he *not said here* | water |  | water |  |  | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent water=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yep, he sent 'em down to the creek to fetch water in it and bring it back

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:580-pg2306-part16:t8:o3:1
# text = Yep, he sent 'em down to the creek to fetch water in it and bring it back
1	Yep	yep	INTJ	UH	_	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	sent	send	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	'em	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	down	down	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	creek	creek	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	fetch	fetch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
12	water	water	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obl	_	_
15	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
16	bring	bring	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	conj	_	_
17	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	obj	_	_
18	back	back	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send down** | past | he | 'em *= they* |  | the creek |  | down *property* | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent they=Theme to creek=Destination |
| 2 | **fetch** | to-infinitive | he *not said here* | water |  | water |  |  | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent water=Theme |
| 3 | **bring back** | infinitive | he *not said here* | water |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yep, he sent 'em to get milk in it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:580-pg2306-part16:t8:o4:1
# text = Yep, he sent 'em to get milk in it
1	Yep	yep	INTJ	UH	_	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	sent	send	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	'em	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
8	milk	milk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
9	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | past | he | 'em *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Theme |
| 2 | **get** | to-infinitive | he *not said here* | milk |  | milk |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer milk=Stimulus |

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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: [Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Buzz…, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/580-pg2306-part16/t7/)
- next →: [Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Buzz…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/580-pg2306-part16/t9/)
- ↑ back to [Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and Brer Buzzard, part 16: Rabbit tricks Buzzard into carrying him home from the island](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/580-pg2306-part16/)