---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Standard English and dialect: "we was"… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the relationship between Standard English and regional dialects? Exam question 2 of lesson 38 «Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were" in writing» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tre
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/e2/)

<!-- 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/) / [Standard English and dialect: "we was"…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/) / e2

# Exam question 2 · Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were"…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the relationship between Standard English and regional dialects?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** relationship

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 38 «Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were" in writing» 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/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:e2:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the relationship between Standard English and regional dialects?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	relationship	relationship	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	between	between	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	Standard	Standard	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	regional	regional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	dialects	dialect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | the relationship |  |  |  | of the following statements; between Standard English and regional dialects; accurately *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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Standard English is the only variety possessing grammatical rules

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:e2:o1:1
# text = Standard English is the only variety possessing grammatical rules
1	Standard	Standard	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	only	only	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	variety	variety	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	possessing	possess	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	acl	_	_
8	grammatical	grammatical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Standard English | the only variety |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **possess** | gerund | the only variety *not said here* | grammatical rules |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot rule=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Regional dialects are erroneous forms of Standard English

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:e2:o2:1
# text = Regional dialects are erroneous forms of Standard English
1	Regional	regional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	dialects	dialect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	erroneous	erroneous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	forms	form	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	Standard	Standard	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Regional dialects | erroneous forms |  |  |  | of Standard English | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Regional dialects are not varieties of English

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:e2:o3:1
# text = Regional dialects are not varieties of English
1	Regional	regional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	dialects	dialect	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	varieties	variety	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is a** | present | Regional dialects | varieties |  |  |  | of English | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Standard English is one variety among many, conventionally used in formal writing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:e2:o4:1
# text = Standard English is one variety among many, conventionally used in formal writing
1	Standard	Standard	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	variety	variety	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	among	among	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	conventionally	conventionally	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	acl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	formal	formal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	writing	writing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Standard English | one variety |  |  |  | among many | tree rules |
| 2 | **use** | participle |  | one variety *not said here* |  | formal writing |  | conventionally *property* | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Standard English and dialect: "we was"…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/e1/)
- next →: [Standard English and dialect: "we was"…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were" in writing](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/)