---
title: A gran in Cornwall: "Ee could've 'elped, my lover." ("My lover" is a… — Active and passive voice, modal verbs · tree and pragmatics
description: A gran in Cornwall: "Ee could've 'elped, my lover." ("My lover" is a friendly word there.) What does "could have helped" suggest? Test 7 · ★★ 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 a
---

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# Test 7 · ★★ · Active and passive voice, modal verbs

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A gran in Cornwall: "Ee could've 'elped, my lover." ("My lover" is a friendly word there.) What does "could have helped" suggest?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** lover · **What happens:** elp, be, help, suggest · **To what, where:** Ee, friendly word · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 · ★★ 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/#t7).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A gran in Cornwall: "Ee could've 'elped, my lover."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t7:1
# text = A gran in Cornwall: "Ee could've 'elped, my lover."
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	gran	gran	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Cornwall	Cornwall	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	Ee	ee	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	've	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	aux	_	_
10	'	'	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	elped	elp	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	14	nmod:poss	_	_
14	lover	lover	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **elp** *in a quote* | could · perfect · passive |  | Ee |  |  |  |  | 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:* ("My lover" is a friendly word there.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t7:2
# text = ("My lover" is a friendly word there.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	My	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	lover	lover	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	friendly	friendly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	9	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | My lover | a friendly word |  | there |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* What does "could have helped" suggest?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t7:3
# text = What does "could have helped" suggest?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	6	obj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	have	have	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux	_	_
6	helped	help	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	_
8	suggest	suggest	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** *in a quote* | could · present · perfect · do-support |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Beneficiary |
| 2 | **suggest** *speech: suggest* | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He definitely helped yesterday

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t7:o1:1
# text = He definitely helped yesterday
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	definitely	definitely	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	helped	help	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	yesterday	yesterday	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | past | He |  |  |  | yesterday | definitely *property* | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He was able to help but didn't

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t7:o2:1
# text = He was able to help but didn't
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	able	able	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	help	help	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	did	do	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | He |  |  |  |  | able *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **help** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **not** **do** | past | He *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is helping right now

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t7:o3:1
# text = He is helping right now
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	helping	help	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	right	right	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	now	now	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | present · progressive | He |  |  |  | now | right *property* | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He will help next week

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:32-active-and-passive-voice-modal-verbs:t7:o4:1
# text = He will help next week
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	help	help	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	next	next	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	week	week	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | future | He |  |  |  | week |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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 -->

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