---
title: ★★★ Two versions: A) «Mia opened the box.» B) «Slowly, slowly, Mia l… — Author's choices: why this word, why t… · tree and pragmatics
description: ★★★ Two versions: A) «Mia opened the box.» B) «Slowly, slowly, Mia lifted the lid.» Which builds more suspense, and why? Test 4 · ★★ of lesson 21 «Author's choices: why this word, why this way» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question an
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/t4/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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/) / [Author's choices: why this word, why t…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/) / t4

# Test 4 · ★★ · Author's choices: why this word, why this way

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
★★★ Two versions: A) «Mia opened the box.» B) «Slowly, slowly, Mia lifted the lid.» Which builds more suspense, and why?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** ★ Two versions, Mia · **What happens:** open, lift, build · **To what, where:** A, lid, more suspense

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★★ of lesson 21 «Author's choices: why this word, why this way» of the English 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/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* ★★★ Two versions: A) «Mia opened the box.»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way:t4:1
# text = ★★★ Two versions: A) «Mia opened the box.»
1	★	★	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	★	★	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	1	dep	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	★	★	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
4	Two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	versions	version	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
7	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	7	punct	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	opened	open	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	box	box	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **open** *in a quote* | past | ★ Two versions | A |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location box=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* B) «Slowly, slowly, Mia lifted the lid.»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way:t4:2
# text = B) «Slowly, slowly, Mia lifted the lid.»
1	B	B	NUM	LS	_	9	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	1	punct	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	Slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	lifted	lift	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	lid	lid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lift** *in a quote* | past | Mia | the lid |  |  |  | slowly *property* | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lid=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Which builds more suspense, and why?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way:t4:3
# text = Which builds more suspense, and why?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	2	nsubj	_	_
2	builds	build	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	4	amod	_	_
4	suspense	suspense	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **build** | present |  | more suspense |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset suspense=Product |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
B, because it is longer

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way:t4:o1:1
# text = B, because it is longer
1	B	B	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	longer	long	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	1	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | B |  |  |  |  | long *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A, short sentences are always more exciting than any other kind

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way:t4:o2:1
# text = A, short sentences are always more exciting than any other kind
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
3	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	sentences	sentence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	7	advmod	_	_
7	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	8	advmod	_	_
8	exciting	exciting	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
9	than	than	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	12	det	_	_
11	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | short sentences |  |  |  |  | than any other kind; exciting *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
B, the repetition slows the moment down

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way:t4:o3:1
# text = B, the repetition slows the moment down
1	B	B	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	vocative	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	repetition	repetition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	slows	slow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	moment	moment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	down	down	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **slow down** | present | the repetition |  |  |  | moment | B *vocative*; down *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A, it has fewer words

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way:t4:o4:1
# text = A, it has fewer words
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	fewer	few	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	amod	_	_
6	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | it | fewer words |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent word=Patient |

<!-- 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: [Author's choices: why this word, why t…, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/t3/)
- next →: [Author's choices: why this word, why t…, test 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/t5/)
- ↑ back to [Author's choices: why this word, why this way](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/)