---
title: Identify the principal function of a paragraph. — Paragraphs and cohesion: holding a tex… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal function of a paragraph. Exam question 1 of lesson 37 «Paragraphs and cohesion: holding a text together» 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 right.
---

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# Exam question 1 · Paragraphs and cohesion: holding a text together

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal function of a paragraph.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify · **To what, where:** principal function

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 37 «Paragraphs and cohesion: holding a text together» 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/37-paragraphs-and-cohesion-holding-a-text-together/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:37-paragraphs-and-cohesion-holding-a-text-together:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal function of a paragraph.
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	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	paragraph	paragraph	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	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 function of a paragraph |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent function=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 -->
To group sentences concerning a single main idea

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:37-paragraphs-and-cohesion-holding-a-text-together:e1:o1:1
# text = To group sentences concerning a single main idea
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	3	mark	_	_
2	group	group	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	sentences	sentence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
4	concerning	concern	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
6	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	main	main	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **concern** | gerund | group sentences *not said here* | a single main idea |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus idea=Experiencer |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To indicate that a sentence is a question

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:37-paragraphs-and-cohesion-holding-a-text-together:e1:o2:1
# text = To indicate that a sentence is a question
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	indicate	indicate	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	csubj	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	sentence	sentence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	ccomp	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	question	question	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **indicate** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **be** *speech: other* | present |  | a question |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To mark the omission of letters

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:37-paragraphs-and-cohesion-holding-a-text-together:e1:o3:1
# text = To mark the omission of letters
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	mark	mark	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	omission	omission	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mark** | to-infinitive |  | the omission of letters |  |  |  |  | vn image\_impression-25.1 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent omission=Destination |
| 2 | **omit** |  |  | letters |  |  |  |  | nom omission «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To separate the items of a list

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:37-paragraphs-and-cohesion-holding-a-text-together:e1:o4:1
# text = To separate the items of a list
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	separate	separate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	items	item	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	list	list	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **separate** | to-infinitive |  | the items of a list |  |  |  |  | vn separate-23.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent item=Patient |

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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.

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