---
title: You stop a stranger with «qǐng wěn» instead of qǐng wèn. Why might t… — The four tones: same sound, different… · tree and pragmatics
description: You stop a stranger with «qǐng wěn» instead of qǐng wèn. Why might the class giggle? Test 3 · ★★ of lesson 2 «The four tones: same sound, different meaning» of the Chinese street course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choic
---

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# Test 3 · ★★ · The four tones: same sound, different meaning

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You stop a stranger with «qǐng wěn» instead of qǐng wèn. Why might the class giggle?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** You · **What happens:** stop, qǐng · **To what, where:** stranger, wěn, wèn

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★★ of lesson 2 «The four tones: same sound, different meaning» of the Chinese street 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/chinese-street/2-the-four-tones/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* You stop a stranger with «qǐng wěn» instead of qǐng wèn.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:t3:1
# text = You stop a stranger with «qǐng wěn» instead of qǐng wèn.
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	stop	stop	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	stranger	stranger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	with	with	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	qǐng	qǐng	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
8	wěn	wěn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
10	instead	instead	ADV	RB	ExtPos=SCONJ	12	mark	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	fixed	_	_
12	qǐng	qǐng	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	advcl	_	_
13	wèn	wèn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | present | You | a stranger |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector stranger=Eventuality |
| 2 | **qǐng** *in a quote* | gerund | You *not said here* | wěn |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **qǐng** | gerund | You *not said here* | wèn |  |  |  |  | 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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Why might the class giggle?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:t3:2
# text = Why might the class giggle?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	1	aux	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	class	class	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	giggle	giggle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You said «may I kiss» instead of «may I ask»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:t3:o1:1
# text = You said «may I kiss» instead of «may I ask»
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
6	kiss	kiss	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
8	instead	instead	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	fixed	_	_
10	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
12	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
13	ask	ask	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | You |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **kiss** *in a quote* | may | I |  |  |  |  | instead *property* | vn marry-36.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **ask** *speech: ask* *in a quote* | may | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You said «please sell»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:t3:o2:1
# text = You said «please sell»
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	please	please	INTJ	UH	_	5	discourse	_	_
5	sell	sell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | You |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **sell** *in a quote* | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V PP.recipient»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You said «please sleep»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:t3:o3:1
# text = You said «please sleep»
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	please	please	INTJ	UH	_	5	discourse	_	_
5	sleep	sleep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | You |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **sleep** *in a quote* | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You said «good night» in the morning

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:2-the-four-tones:t3:o4:1
# text = You said «good night» in the morning
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	morning	morning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | You |  |  |  | morning; night |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |

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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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