---
title: What would have saved all the trouble? — Just So Stories, How the First Letter… · tree and pragmatics
description: What would have saved all the trouble? Test 5 · ★ of lesson 85 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 2: the picture goes wrong and the whole Tribe comes» 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 5 · ★ · Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 2:…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What would have saved all the trouble?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **What happens:** save · **To what, where:** trouble

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★ of lesson 85 «Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 2: the picture goes wrong and the whole Tribe comes» 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/85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes/#t5).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes:t5:1
# text = What would have saved all the trouble?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	have	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	aux	_	_
4	saved	save	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	7	det:predet	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	trouble	trouble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **save** | would · perfect · passive |  | all trouble |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP.beneficiary NP»: subject=Beneficiary trouble=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 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sending someone who could talk their language with the picture

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes:t5:o1:1
# text = Sending someone who could talk their language with the picture
1	Sending	send	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obj	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
4	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	talk	talk	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl:relcl	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | gerund |  | someone |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent someone=Theme |
| 2 | **talk** | could |  | their language |  |  |  | with the picture | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Staying home at the Cave and sending a message by beaver to explain everything to the Tribe

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes:t5:o2:1
# text = Staying home at the Cave and sending a message by beaver to explain everything to the Tribe
1	Staying	stay	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	home	home	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	Cave	cave	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	sending	send	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	message	message	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	beaver	beaver	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	explain	explain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
14	everything	everything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	13	obj	_	_
15	to	to	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	Tribe	Tribe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stay** | gerund |  |  |  | the Cave |  | home *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme at cave=Location |
| 2 | **send** | gerund |  | a message |  |  |  | by beaver | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent message=Theme |
| 3 | **explain** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive |  | everything | the Tribe |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent everything=Topic to tribe=Recipient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sending someone who could talk their language, carrying the picture, to explain it to the Tribe

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes:t5:o3:1
# text = Sending someone who could talk their language, carrying the picture, to explain it to the Tribe
1	Sending	send	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	14	csubj	_	_
2	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	1	obj	_	_
3	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
4	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	talk	talk	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	acl:relcl	_	_
6	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	7	nmod:poss	_	_
7	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	carrying	carry	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	conj	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	explain	explain	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
16	to	to	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	Tribe	Tribe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | gerund |  | someone |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent someone=Theme |
| 2 | **talk** | could |  | their language |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent language=Patient |
| 3 | **carry** | gerund |  | the picture |  |  |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent picture=Theme |
| 4 | **explain** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | Sending | picture | the Tribe |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent it=Topic to tribe=Recipient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Drawing the spear on the inside of the Cave

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes:t5:o4:1
# text = Drawing the spear on the inside of the Cave
1	Drawing	draw	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	spear	spear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	inside	inside	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	Cave	cave	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **draw** | gerund |  | the spear |  | the inside of the Cave |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent spear=Theme on inside=Destination |

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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: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes/t4/)
- next →: [Just So Stories, How the First Letter…, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes/t6/)
- ↑ back to [Just So Stories, How the First Letter Was Written, part 2: the picture goes wrong and the whole Tribe comes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/85-justso-first-letter-2-the-whole-tribe-comes/)