--- title: ★★★ Which sentence is Standard English but could be spoken in any ac… — Standard English and dialect: "we was"… · tree and pragmatics description: ★★★ Which sentence is Standard English but could be spoken in any accent? Test 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 tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's --- [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/t2/) [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/) / t2 # Test 2 · ★ · Standard English and dialect: "we was" in talk, "we were"… ★★★ Which sentence is Standard English but could be spoken in any accent? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** ★ ★ ★ · **What happens:** be, speak · **To what, where:** Standard English, accent · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is test 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. 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/#t2). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:t2:1 # text = ★★★ Which sentence is Standard English but could be spoken in any accent? 1 ★ ★ PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 2 ★ ★ NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 3 ★ ★ NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nsubj _ _ 4 Which which DET WDT PronType=Int 5 det _ _ 5 sentence sentence NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 appos _ _ 6 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 8 cop _ _ 7 Standard Standard PROPN NNP Number=Sing 8 compound _ _ 8 English English PROPN NNP Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 9 but but CCONJ CC _ 12 cc _ _ 10 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 12 aux _ _ 11 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 12 aux:pass _ _ 12 spoken speak VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 8 conj _ _ 13 in in ADP IN _ 15 case _ _ 14 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 15 det _ _ 15 accent accent NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 16 ? ? PUNCT . _ 8 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | ★ ★ ★ | Standard English | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **speak** *speech: other* | could · passive | ★ ★ ★ *not said here* | | | any accent | | | vn talk-37.5 «NP V» | 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} We were going to the beach. ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:t2:o1:1 # text = We were going to the beach. 1 We we PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 going go VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 to to ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 beach beach NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 7 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | past · progressive | We | | | the beach | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to beach=Initial\_Location | ### Option 2 {#o2} Us were going to the beach. ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:t2:o2:1 # text = Us were going to the beach. 1 Us we PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 going go VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 to to ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 beach beach NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 7 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | past · progressive | Us | | | the beach | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to beach=Initial\_Location | ### Option 3 {#o3} We were going to't beach. ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:t2:o3:1 # text = We were going to't beach. 1 We we PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 going go VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 to't to't NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 compound _ _ 5 beach beach NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 6 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | past · progressive | We | to't beach | | | | | vn meander-47.7 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location beach=Theme | ### Option 4 {#o4} We was going t'beach. ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were:t2:o4:1 # text = We was going t'beach. 1 We we PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 going go VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 0 root _ _ 4 t'beach t'beach NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 5 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | past · progressive | We | t'beach | | | | | vn meander-47.7 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location t'beach=Theme | **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. - ← previous: [Standard English and dialect: "we was"…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t1/) - next →: [Standard English and dialect: "we was"…, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/38-standard-english-and-dialect-we-was-and-we-were/t3/) - ↑ 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/)