---
title: What did the chairs keep saying when they creaked? — Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Old House:… · tree and pragmatics
description: What did the chairs keep saying when they creaked? Test 6 · ★ of lesson 921 «Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Old House: a lonely old man and a little boy become friends across the street» of the books course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each op
---

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# Test 6 · ★ · Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Old House: a lonely old man an…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
What did the chairs keep saying when they creaked?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** chairs · **What happens:** do, keep, say, creak · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 6 · ★ of lesson 921 «Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Old House: a lonely old man and a little boy become friends across the street» 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/921-pg27200-part132/#t6).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:921-pg27200-part132:t6:1
# text = What did the chairs keep saying when they creaked?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	2	nsubj	_	_
2	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	chairs	chair	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	keep	keep	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
6	saying	say	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	xcomp	_	_
7	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	9	advmod	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	creaked	creak	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | past |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **keep** | present | the chairs |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | gerund | the chairs *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 4 | **creak** | past | chairs *= chair* |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=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 -->
Sit down, I'm creaking, oh dear

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:921-pg27200-part132:t6:o1:1
# text = Sit down, I'm creaking, oh dear
1	Sit	sit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	down	down	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
4	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	'm	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	creaking	creak	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	oh	oh	INTJ	UH	_	9	discourse	_	_
9	dear	dear	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit down** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **creak** | present · progressive | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP.location V PP.theme»: agent=Location |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Stop sitting, oh dear, I'm creaking

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:921-pg27200-part132:t6:o2:1
# text = Stop sitting, oh dear, I'm creaking
1	Stop	stop	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	sitting	sit	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
4	oh	oh	INTJ	UH	_	5	discourse	_	_
5	dear	dear	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	'm	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	creaking	creak	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Affector clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **sit** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **creak** | present · progressive | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP.location V PP.theme»: agent=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sit down, I'm tired, oh no

```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:921-pg27200-part132:t6:o3:1
# text = Sit down, I'm tired, oh no
1	Sit	sit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	down	down	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
4	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	'm	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	tired	tired	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
8	oh	oh	INTJ	UH	_	1	discourse	_	_
9	no	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	1	discourse	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit down** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | I |  |  |  |  | tired *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sit down, I'm creaking, oh dear, you're far too heavy for me today

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:books:921-pg27200-part132:t6:o4:1
# text = Sit down, I'm creaking, oh dear, you're far too heavy for me today
1	Sit	sit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	down	down	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
4	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	'm	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	creaking	creak	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	oh	oh	INTJ	UH	_	9	discourse	_	_
9	dear	dear	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
11	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
13	far	far	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	15	advmod	_	_
14	too	too	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	parataxis	_	_
16	for	for	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	15	obl	_	_
18	today	today	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit down** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **creak** | present · progressive | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP.location V PP.theme»: agent=Location |
| 3 | **is** | present | you |  |  |  | today | for me; far, heavy *property* | tree rules |

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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 -->

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