---
title: Ascertain the literal composition of the term "xiàwǔ", signifying af… — Today, tomorrow, now, later · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the literal composition of the term "xiàwǔ", signifying afternoon. Exam question 4 of lesson 21 «Today, tomorrow, now, later» 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 choice was wrong.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Today, tomorrow, now, later

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the literal composition of the term "xiàwǔ", signifying afternoon.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, signify · **To what, where:** literal composition

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 21 «Today, tomorrow, now, later» of the Chinese street course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. 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/21-today-tomorrow-now-later/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:21-today-tomorrow-now-later:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the literal composition of the term "xiàwǔ", signifying afternoon.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	literal	literal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	composition	composition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	term	term	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	xiàwǔ	xiàwǔ	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	signifying	signify	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	_
13	afternoon	afternoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the literal composition of the term |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent composition=Topic |
| 2 | **signify** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  |  | afternoon |  | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Before noon

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:21-today-tomorrow-now-later:e4:o1:1
# text = Before noon
1	Before	before	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	noon	noon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
After noon

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:21-today-tomorrow-now-later:e4:o2:1
# text = After noon
1	After	after	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	noon	noon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Early morning

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:21-today-tomorrow-now-later:e4:o3:1
# text = Early morning
1	Early	early	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	morning	morning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Late night

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:21-today-tomorrow-now-later:e4:o4:1
# text = Late night
1	Late	late	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

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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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