--- title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves… · tree and pragmatics description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the plural of «sheep»? Exam question 4 of lesson 6 «Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's c --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/6-spelling-plurals/e4/) [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/) / [Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/6-spelling-plurals/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the plural of «sheep»? **Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **What happens:** follow, characteris · **To what, where:** plural This is exam question 4 of lesson 6 «Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones» 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/6-spelling-plurals/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:e4:1 # text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the plural of «sheep»? 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 plural plural NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ _ 11 of of ADP IN _ 13 case _ _ 12 « « PUNCT `` _ 13 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 13 sheep sheep NOUN NNS Number=Plur 10 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 14 » » PUNCT '' _ 13 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 15 ? ? PUNCT . _ 8 punct _ _ ``` | # | 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 plural of sheep | | | | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules | 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 {#o1} The plural is formed by the addition of -en ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:e4:o1:1 # text = The plural is formed by the addition of -en 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 plural plural NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux:pass _ _ 4 formed form VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 5 by by ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 addition addition NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ 8 of of ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 9 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 10 en en NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **form** | present · passive | the addition of en | the plural | | | | | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location subject=Theme | ### Option 2 {#o2} The plural is formed by the addition of -s ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:e4:o2:1 # text = The plural is formed by the addition of -s 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 plural plural NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux:pass _ _ 4 formed form VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 5 by by ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 addition addition NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ 8 of of ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 9 -s - NOUN NNS Number=Plur 7 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **form** | present · passive | the addition of -s | the plural | | | | | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location subject=Theme | ### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3} The plural is identical in form to the singular ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:e4:o3:1 # text = The plural is identical in form to the singular 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 plural plural NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 4 identical identical ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 form form NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ 7 to to ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 singular singular ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | the plural | | | form | | to the singular; identical *property* | tree rules | ### Option 4 {#o4} The plural is formed by the alteration of the vowel ```conllu # sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:e4:o4:1 # text = The plural is formed by the alteration of the vowel 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 plural plural NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux:pass _ _ 4 formed form VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 5 by by ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 alteration alteration NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ 8 of of ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 vowel vowel NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **form** | present · passive | the alteration of the vowel | the plural | | | | | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location subject=Theme | | 2 | **alter** | | | the vowel | | | | | nom alteration «event transitive»: of=patient | **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: [Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/6-spelling-plurals/e3/) - next →: [Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and drop…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e/t1/) - ↑ back to [Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/6-spelling-plurals/)