---
title: Real life: why is a picture not yet writing? — Just So Stories, How the First Letter… · tree and pragmatics
description: Real life: why is a picture not yet writing? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 84 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1: a broken spear and a picture on birch-bark» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova'
---

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# Test 8 · ★ · Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1:…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Real life: why is a picture not yet writing?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** picture · **What happens:** not be

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 84 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1: a broken spear and a picture on birch-bark» 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/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:t8:1
# text = Real life: why is a picture not yet writing?
1	Real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	2	punct	_	_
4	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
8	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
9	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	writing	write	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | present | a picture |  |  |  | yet | write *property* | 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 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It does not show the exact words, so people can read it differently

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:t8:o1:1
# text = It does not show the exact words, so people can read it differently
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	exact	exact	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
11	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	read	read	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	_
14	differently	differently	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **show** | present · do-support | It | the exact words |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent word=Recipient |
| 2 | **read** | can | people | it |  |  |  | differently *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It does not show the exact words, so people can read it differently, and no one can say which reading is correct

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:t8:o2:1
# text = It does not show the exact words, so people can read it differently, and no one can say which reading is correct
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	exact	exact	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
11	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	read	read	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	_
14	differently	differently	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
17	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	18	det	_	_
18	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nsubj	_	_
19	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	20	aux	_	_
20	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
21	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	22	det	_	_
22	reading	reading	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	nsubj	_	_
23	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	24	cop	_	_
24	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **show** | present · do-support | It | the exact words |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent word=Recipient |
| 2 | **read** | can | people | it |  |  |  | differently *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |
| 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | can | no one |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **is** | present | which reading |  |  |  |  | correct *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It does not show exact words, so readers may interpret it in many ways

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:t8:o3:1
# text = It does not show exact words, so readers may interpret it in many ways
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	exact	exact	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
9	readers	reader	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
10	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	interpret	interpret	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
12	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	ways	way	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **show** | present · do-support | It | exact words |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent word=Recipient |
| 2 | **interpret** | may | readers | it |  | many ways |  |  | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pictures show things but not the sounds of spoken words

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear:t8:o4:1
# text = Pictures show things but not the sounds of spoken words
1	Pictures	picture	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	show	show	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
5	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	sounds	sound	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	conj	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	spoken	speak	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | Pictures | things but the sounds of spoken words |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent thing=Recipient |
| 2 | **speak** *speech: other* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/t7/)
- next →: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/t9/)
- ↑ back to [Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 1: a broken spear and a picture on birch-bark](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/84-justso-first-letter-1-a-broken-spear/)