---
title: Identify the principal reason for which numerous common English word… — Tricky words and common exception words · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which numerous common English words possess irregular spellings. Exam question 3 of lesson 3 «Tricky words and common exception words» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's 
---

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# Exam question 3 · Tricky words and common exception words

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which numerous common English words possess irregular spellings.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, numerous common English words · **What happens:** identify, possess · **To what, where:** principal reason, irregular spellings

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 3 «Tricky words and common exception words» 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/3-tricky-words-and-common-exception-words/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:3-tricky-words-and-common-exception-words:e3:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which numerous common English words possess irregular spellings.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	obl	_	_
7	numerous	numerous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
8	common	common	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
9	English	English	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
11	possess	possess	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
12	irregular	irregular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	spellings	spelling	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **possess** | present | numerous common English words | irregular spellings |  |  |  | for the principal reason | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot spelling=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 -->
Their pronunciation altered over centuries whilst their spelling remained unchanged

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:3-tricky-words-and-common-exception-words:e3:o1:1
# text = Their pronunciation altered over centuries whilst their spelling remained unchanged
1	Their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	pronunciation	pronunciation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
3	altered	alter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	over	over	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	centuries	century	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
6	whilst	whilst	SCONJ	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	remained	remain	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	unchanged	unchanged	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **alter** | participle |  | Their pronunciation *not said here* |  |  | century | whilst their spelling | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **remain** | past | Their pronunciation |  |  |  |  | unchanged *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **pronounce** |  | Their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom pronunciation «communication transitive»: poss=agent |
| 4 | **spell** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom spelling «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Their spelling is determined afresh each year by examination boards

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:3-tricky-words-and-common-exception-words:e3:o2:1
# text = Their spelling is determined afresh each year by examination boards
1	Their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	determined	determined	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	afresh	afresh	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	each	each	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl:unmarked	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	examination	examination	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	boards	board	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Their spelling |  |  |  | year | by examination boards; afresh *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **spell** |  | Their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom spelling «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were invented recently and have not yet acquired settled spellings

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:3-tricky-words-and-common-exception-words:e3:o3:1
# text = They were invented recently and have not yet acquired settled spellings
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	invented	invent	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	recently	recently	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
6	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
7	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
8	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	acquired	acquire	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	3	conj	_	_
10	settled	settled	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	spellings	spelling	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **invent** | past · passive |  | They |  |  |  | recently *property* | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Result |
| 2 | **not** **acquire** | present · perfect |  | settled spellings |  |  | yet |  | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset spelling=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They were deliberately misspelled by scholars in order to test pupils

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:3-tricky-words-and-common-exception-words:e3:o4:1
# text = They were deliberately misspelled by scholars in order to test pupils
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	deliberately	deliberately	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	misspelled	misspell	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	scholars	scholar	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl:agent	_	_
7	in	in	SCONJ	IN	ExtPos=SCONJ	10	mark	_	_
8	order	order	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	fixed	_	_
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	test	test	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
11	pupils	pupil	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **misspell** | past · passive | scholars | They |  |  |  | deliberately *property* | vn scribble-25.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |
| 2 | **test** | to-infinitive | scholars *not said here* | pupils |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pupil=Theme |

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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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