---
title: In a cartoon, a villain says "The bank has been robbed... by someone… — Active and passive voice, modal verbs · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon, a villain says "The bank has been robbed... by someone!" Why is it funny? Test 4 · ★★ of lesson 32 «Active and passive voice, modal verbs» 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 wrong
---

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# Test 4 · ★★ · Active and passive voice, modal verbs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon, a villain says "The bank has been robbed... by someone!" Why is it funny?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** villain, bank · **What happens:** say, rob, be · **To what, where:** cartoon, bank · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★★ of lesson 32 «Active and passive voice, modal verbs» 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/32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon, a villain says "The bank has been robbed... by someone!"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t4:1
# text = In a cartoon, a villain says "The bank has been robbed... by someone!"
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	villain	villain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	bank	bank	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
11	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
12	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	robbed	rob	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	...	...	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
15	by	by	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: express* | present | a villain |  |  | a cartoon |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **rob** *in a quote* | present · perfect · passive |  | the bank |  |  |  |  | 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 is it funny?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t4:2
# text = Why is it funny?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	funny	funny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Villains are not allowed to use "by"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t4:o1:1
# text = Villains are not allowed to use "by"
1	Villains	villain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	allowed	allow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	use	use	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **allow** | present · passive |  | Villains |  |  |  |  | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V NP S»: subject=Beneficiary clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **use** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | Villains *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He forgot how to say "bank" properly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t4:o2:1
# text = He forgot how to say "bank" properly
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	forgot	forget	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	bank	bank	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	_
9	properly	properly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forget** | past | He |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | He *not said here* | bank |  |  |  | properly *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent bank=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He uses the wrong tense on purpose

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t4:o3:1
# text = He uses the wrong tense on purpose
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	uses	use	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	tense	tense	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | He | the wrong tense |  | purpose |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tense=Patient |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The passive lets him hide that it was him

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t4:o4:1
# text = The passive lets him hide that it was him
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	passive	passive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	nsubj	_	_
3	lets	let	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	hide	hide	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
8	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
9	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **let** | present | the passive | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **hide** | infinitive | him *= he* *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** | past | it | him *= he* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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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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