---
title: Kai, Year 5, writes "Before the match, we had pizza, it was nice." W… — Commas: lists, clauses and clarity · tree and pragmatics
description: Kai, Year 5, writes "Before the match, we had pizza, it was nice." What is wrong? Test 8 of lesson 33 «Commas: lists, clauses and clarity» 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 8 · Commas: lists, clauses and clarity

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Kai, Year 5, writes "Before the match, we had pizza, it was nice." What is wrong?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Kai, we, pizza · **What happens:** write, have, be · **To what, where:** pizza · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 of lesson 33 «Commas: lists, clauses and clarity» 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/33-commas-lists-clauses-and-clarity/#t8).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Kai, Year 5, writes "Before the match, we had pizza, it was nice."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:33-commas-lists-clauses-and-clarity:t8:1
# text = Kai, Year 5, writes "Before the match, we had pizza, it was nice."
1	Kai	Kai	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	Year	Year	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nmod:unmarked	_	_
4	5	5	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	1	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
6	writes	write	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	Before	before	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	match	match	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
12	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
13	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	ccomp	_	_
14	pizza	pizza	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
16	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	18	nsubj	_	_
17	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
18	nice	nice	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write** | present | Kai |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V S-Quote»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **have** *in a quote* | past | we | pizza |  |  | before the match |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pizza=Patient |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | past | pizza |  |  |  |  | nice *property* | 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:* What is wrong?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:33-commas-lists-clauses-and-clarity:t8:2
# text = What is wrong?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
"Pizza" needs capital letters

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:33-commas-lists-clauses-and-clarity:t8:o1:1
# text = "Pizza" needs capital letters
1	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Pizza	pizza	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
4	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	capital	capital	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | Pizza | capital letters |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot letter=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It needs a comma after "had"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:33-commas-lists-clauses-and-clarity:t8:o2:1
# text = It needs a comma after "had"
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	needs	need	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	comma	comma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	after	after	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | It | a comma |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot comma=Theme |
| 2 | **have** *in a quote* | past | a comma *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The second comma joins two sentences: a splice

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:33-commas-lists-clauses-and-clarity:t8:o3:1
# text = The second comma joins two sentences: a splice
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	second	second	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	3	amod	_	_
3	comma	comma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	joins	join	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	sentences	sentence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	splice	splice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **join** | present | the second comma | two sentences |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent sentence=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The first comma, after "match", should not be there at all

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:33-commas-lists-clauses-and-clarity:t8:o4:1
# text = The first comma, after "match", should not be there at all
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	3	amod	_	_
3	comma	comma	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
5	after	after	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	match	match	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
10	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
12	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	13	cop	_	_
13	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	0	root	_	_
14	at	at	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	13	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | should | the first comma |  |  | all |  | there *property* | 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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