---
title: Identify the sentence in which a colon is correctly employed to intr… — Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the sentence in which a colon is correctly employed to introduce a list. Exam question 1 of lesson 36 «Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons and hyphens» 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 
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens/e1/)

<!-- 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/) / [Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens/) / e1

# Exam question 1 · Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons and hyphens

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the sentence in which a colon is correctly employed to introduce a list.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, employ, introduce · **To what, where:** sentence, colon, list

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 36 «Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons and hyphens» 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/36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens:e1:1
# text = Identify the sentence in which a colon is correctly employed to introduce a list.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	sentence	sentence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	colon	colon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	correctly	correctly	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	_
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	introduce	introduce	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	xcomp	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	list	list	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 sentence |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent sentence=Theme |
| 2 | **employ** | present · passive |  | a colon |  | the sentence |  | correctly *property* | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP to be NP»: subject=Theme clause=Attribute |
| 3 | **introduce** | to-infinitive |  | a list |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent list=Patient |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The recipe: requires three ingredients flour, eggs and milk.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens:e1:o1:1
# text = The recipe: requires three ingredients flour, eggs and milk.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	recipe	recipe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	2	punct	_	_
4	requires	require	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	ingredients	ingredient	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	flour	flour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	conj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	milk	milk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | present | the recipe | three ingredients |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme ingredient=Precondition |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The recipe requires three ingredients: flour, eggs and milk.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens:e1:o2:1
# text = The recipe requires three ingredients: flour, eggs and milk.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	recipe	recipe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	requires	require	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	ingredients	ingredient	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
7	flour	flour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	conj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	milk	milk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | present | the recipe | three ingredients |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme ingredient=Precondition |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The recipe requires three: ingredients flour, eggs and milk.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens:e1:o3:1
# text = The recipe requires three: ingredients flour, eggs and milk.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	recipe	recipe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	requires	require	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
6	ingredients	ingredient	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	compound	_	_
7	flour	flour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	conj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	milk	milk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | present | the recipe | three |  |  |  | ingredients flour and eggs and milk *obl* | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme three=Precondition |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The recipe requires: three ingredients flour, eggs and milk.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens:e1:o4:1
# text = The recipe requires: three ingredients flour, eggs and milk.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	recipe	recipe	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	requires	require	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
5	three	three	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	ingredients	ingredient	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	compound	_	_
7	flour	flour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	eggs	egg	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	conj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	milk	milk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | present | the recipe | ingredients flour and eggs and milk |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Theme |

<!-- 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: [Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons a…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens/t11/)
- next →: [Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons a…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Brackets, dashes, colons, semicolons and hyphens](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/36-brackets-dashes-colons-semicolons-and-hyphens/)