--- title: Ascertain the sound represented by the letters ei in the word «neigh… — i before e, silent letters and other f… · tree and pragmatics description: Ascertain the sound represented by the letters ei in the word «neighbour». Exam question 4 of lesson 10 «i before e, silent letters and other famous traps» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wr --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps/e4/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/) / [i before e, silent letters and other f…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · i before e, silent letters and other famous traps Ascertain the sound represented by the letters ei in the word «neighbour». **Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, represent · **To what, where:** sound This is exam question 4 of lesson 10 «i before e, silent letters and other famous traps» of the English 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/english/10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps:e4:1 # text = Ascertain the sound represented by the letters ei in the word «neighbour». 1 Ascertain ascertain VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 3 sound sound NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obj _ _ 4 represented represent VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 acl _ _ 5 by by ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 letters letter NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 obl _ _ 8 ei EI PROPN NNP Number=Sing 7 appos _ _ 9 in in ADP IN _ 11 case _ _ 10 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 11 word word NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ 12 « « PUNCT `` _ 13 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 13 neighbour neighbour NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 14 » » PUNCT '' _ 13 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 15 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the sound | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent sound=Topic | | 2 | **represent** | participle | | the sound *not said here* | | | | by the letters; in the word | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot in word=Attribute | 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} The sound /ie/, as in the word «height» ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps:e4:o1:1 # text = The sound /ie/, as in the word «height» 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 sound sound NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 / / SYM SYM _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 ie ie NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 5 / / SYM SYM _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 10 punct _ _ 7 as as ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 8 in in ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 word word NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 conj _ _ 11 « « PUNCT `` _ 12 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 12 height height NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 13 » » PUNCT '' _ 12 punct _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 2 {#o2} The sound /ee/, as in the word «receive» ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps:e4:o2:1 # text = The sound /ee/, as in the word «receive» 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 sound sound NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 / / PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 ee ee NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 5 / / PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 10 punct _ _ 7 as as ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 8 in in ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 word word NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 conj _ _ 11 « « PUNCT `` _ 12 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 12 receive receive VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 10 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 13 » » PUNCT '' _ 12 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **receive** *in a quote* | infinitive | | | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | ### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3} No sound whatever, the letters being silent ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps:e4:o3:1 # text = No sound whatever, the letters being silent 1 No no DET DT PronType=Neg 2 det _ _ 2 sound sound NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 3 whatever whatever PRON WP PronType=Rel 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 4 , , PUNCT , _ 3 punct _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 letters letter NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 nsubj _ _ 7 being be AUX VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 8 cop _ _ 8 silent silent ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 parataxis _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | gerund | the letters | | | | | silent *property* | tree rules | ### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4} The sound /ay/, as in the word «eight» ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps:e4:o4:1 # text = The sound /ay/, as in the word «eight» 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 sound sound NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 / / PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 ay ay NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 5 / / PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 10 punct _ _ 7 as as ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 8 in in ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 word word NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 conj _ _ 11 « « PUNCT `` _ 12 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 12 eight eight NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 10 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 13 » » PUNCT '' _ 12 punct _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. **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. - ← previous: [i before e, silent letters and other f…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps/e3/) - next →: [Homophones and near-homophones, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/11-homophones-and-near-homophones/t1/) - ↑ back to [i before e, silent letters and other famous traps](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps/)