---
title: Real life: what was the clever idea of the first alphabet-makers, ab… — Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was… · tree and pragmatics
description: Real life: what was the clever idea of the first alphabet-makers, about 3,800 years ago? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 87 «Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp-fish's mouth, a tail, an egg and a snake» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics
---

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# Test 8 · ★ · Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Real life: what was the clever idea of the first alphabet-makers, about 3,800 years ago?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Real life · **What happens:** be · **To what, where:** clever idea

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 87 «Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp-fish's mouth, a tail, an egg and a snake» 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/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/#t8).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t8:1
# text = Real life: what was the clever idea of the first alphabet-makers, about 3,800 years ago?
1	Real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
4	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	nsubj	_	_
5	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	clever	clever	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	parataxis	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
11	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	14	amod	_	_
12	alphabet	alphabet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	makers	maker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
16	about	about	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
17	3,800	3,800	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	18	nummod	_	_
18	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	_
19	ago	ago	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | Real life | the clever idea |  |  |  | of the first alphabet makers and 3,800 years | 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 -->
Every sign was drawn in a different colour each time

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t8:o1:1
# text = Every sign was drawn in a different colour each time
1	Every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	drawn	draw	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	different	different	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	colour	colour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	10	det	_	_
10	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **draw** | past · passive |  | every sign |  | a different colour | time |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: subject=Theme in colour=Destination |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Each picture was given a sound that matched the animal it showed, so readers could tell which one was meant

<!-- fold The tree, 20 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t8:o2:1
# text = Each picture was given a sound that matched the animal it showed, so readers could tell which one was meant
1	Each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
8	matched	match	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
12	showed	show	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
14	so	so	ADV	RB	_	17	advmod	_	_
15	readers	reader	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	17	nsubj	_	_
16	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	17	aux	_	_
17	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	parataxis	_	_
18	which	which	DET	WDT	PronType=Int	19	det	_	_
19	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nsubj:pass	_	_
20	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	21	aux:pass	_	_
21	meant	mean	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	17	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | past · passive |  | each picture |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: subject=Recipient sound=Theme |
| 2 | **match** | past | a sound | the animal |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent animal=Patient |
| 3 | **show** | past | picture | the animal *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent animal=Recipient |
| 4 | **tell** *speech: assert* | could | readers |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 5 | **mean** | past · passive |  | which one |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The pictures were painted on pots of clay

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t8:o3:1
# text = The pictures were painted on pots of clay
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pictures	picture	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	painted	paint	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	pots	pot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	clay	clay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **paint** | past · passive |  | the pictures |  | pots of clay |  |  | vn image\_impression-25.1 «NP V NP.theme PP.destination»: subject=Theme on pot=Destination |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Each picture stood only for the first sound of its name

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth:t8:o4:1
# text = Each picture stood only for the first sound of its name
1	Each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	stood	stand	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	8	amod	_	_
8	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stand** | past | each picture |  |  |  |  | for the first sound of picture's name | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer for sound=Attribute |
| 2 | **name** |  | picture |  |  |  |  |  | nom name «communication transitive»: poss=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 Alphabet Was…, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/t7/)
- next →: [Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was…, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/t9/)
- ↑ back to [Just So Stories, How the Alphabet Was Made, part 1: a carp-fish's mouth, a tail, an egg and a snake](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/books/87-justso-alphabet-1-a-carp-fishs-mouth/)