---
title: So the guy saying he's a learned man, was it a joke? — Andersen's Tales, The Counsellor's Eve… · tree and pragmatics
description: So the guy saying he's a learned man, was it a joke? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 837 «Andersen's Tales, The Counsellor's Evening Walk, part 48: a lost counsellor wanders strange old streets and thinks he is ill» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the qu
---

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# Test 9 · ★ · Andersen's Tales, The Counsellor's Evening Walk, part 48:…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
So the guy saying he's a learned man, was it a joke?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** guy, he · **What happens:** say, learn, be · **To what, where:** learned man, joke · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 837 «Andersen's Tales, The Counsellor's Evening Walk, part 48: a lost counsellor wanders strange old streets and thinks he is ill» 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/837-pg27200-part48/#t9).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:837-pg27200-part48:t9:1
# text = So the guy saying he's a learned man, was it a joke?
1	So	so	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	guy	guy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
4	saying	say	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
5	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	learned	learn	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
11	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	joke	joke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | gerund | the guy *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **learn** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** | present | he | a learned man |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **is a** | past | the guy | a joke |  |  |  |  | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nah, the bachelor was serious about it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:837-pg27200-part48:t9:o1:1
# text = Nah, the bachelor was serious about it
1	Nah	nah	INTJ	UH	_	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	bachelor	bachelor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	serious	serious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
7	about	about	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the bachelor |  |  |  |  | about it; serious *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nah, the bachelor was dead serious about being a learned man, and he meant it sincerely at the table.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:837-pg27200-part48:t9:o2:1
# text = Nah, the bachelor was dead serious about being a learned man, and he meant it sincerely at the table.
1	Nah	nah	INTJ	UH	_	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	bachelor	bachelor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	dead	dead	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	serious	serious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
8	about	about	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
9	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	12	cop	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	learned	learn	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	amod	_	_
12	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	_
16	meant	mean	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	conj	_	_
17	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	obj	_	_
18	sincerely	sincerely	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
19	at	at	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	table	table	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | the bachelor |  |  |  |  | serious *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **learn** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | about a learned man | tree rules |
| 4 | **mean** | past | man | bachelor |  | the table |  | sincerely *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yeah, he was just pulling our legs.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:837-pg27200-part48:t9:o3:1
# text = Yeah, he was just pulling our legs.
1	Yeah	yeah	INTJ	UH	_	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	just	just	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	pulling	pull	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
7	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	legs	leg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pull** | past · progressive | he | our legs |  |  |  |  | vn push-12-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent leg=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nah, the bachelor truly meant it, honestly.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:837-pg27200-part48:t9:o4:1
# text = Nah, the bachelor truly meant it, honestly.
1	Nah	nah	INTJ	UH	_	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	bachelor	bachelor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	truly	truly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	meant	mean	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	honestly	honestly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | past | the bachelor | it |  |  |  | honestly, truly *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Andersen's Tales, The Counsellor's Eve…, test 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/837-pg27200-part48/t8/)
- next →: [Andersen's Tales, The Counsellor's Eve…, test 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/837-pg27200-part48/t10/)
- ↑ back to [Andersen's Tales, The Counsellor's Evening Walk, part 48: a lost counsellor wanders strange old streets and thinks he is ill](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/837-pg27200-part48/)