---
title: Your mate goes "planning is for people who can't write, mate." What… — Planning before writing · tree and pragmatics
description: Your mate goes "planning is for people who can't write, mate." What is the truth? Test 1 of lesson 39 «Planning before 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 choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 1 · Planning before writing

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Your mate goes "planning is for people who can't write, mate." What is the truth?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** mate, planning, people, truth · **What happens:** go, be, not write

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 of lesson 39 «Planning before 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/39-planning-before-writing/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Your mate goes "planning is for people who can't write, mate."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:39-planning-before-writing:t1:1
# text = Your mate goes "planning is for people who can't write, mate."
1	Your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	goes	go	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	planning	planning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
9	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	12	nsubj	_	_
10	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	write	write	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
14	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	vocative	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go** | present | Your mate |  |  |  |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | planning |  |  |  |  | for people | tree rules |
| 3 | **not** **write** *in a quote* | can | people |  |  |  |  | mate *vocative* | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 the truth?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:39-planning-before-writing:t1:2
# text = What is the truth?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only weak writers who can't write ever need a plan

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:39-planning-before-writing:t1:o1:1
# text = Only weak writers who can't write ever need a plan
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	weak	weak	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	writers	writer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
4	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	7	nsubj	_	_
5	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	write	write	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	acl:relcl	_	_
8	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	7	advmod	_	_
9	need	need	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	plan	plan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **write** | can | weak writers |  |  |  | ever |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **need** | infinitive | weak writers | a plan |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot plan=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Planning is only for maths

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:39-planning-before-writing:t1:o2:1
# text = Planning is only for maths
1	Planning	planning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	maths	math	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Plans make writing worse every single time you use them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:39-planning-before-writing:t1:o3:1
# text = Plans make writing worse every single time you use them
1	Plans	plan	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	writing	write	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	obj	_	_
4	worse	bad	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	2	xcomp	_	_
5	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
6	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl:unmarked	_	_
8	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	use	use	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
10	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | present | Plans |  |  |  | time | bad *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 2 | **write** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **use** | present | you | Plans *= plan* |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Strong writers plan so their writing has a shape

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:39-planning-before-writing:t1:o4:1
# text = Strong writers plan so their writing has a shape
1	Strong	strong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	writers	writer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	plan	plan	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	writing	writing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	shape	shape	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **plan** | present | Strong writers |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **have** | present | writers's writing | a shape |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent shape=Patient |
| 3 | **write** |  | writers *= writer* |  |  |  |  |  | nom writing «act transitive»: poss=agent |

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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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