---
title: Zoe asks if «arvos» is a real plural. What is the best answer? — Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves… · tree and pragmatics
description: Zoe asks if «arvos» is a real plural. What is the best answer? Test 7 · ★ 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 choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 7 · ★ · Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Zoe asks if «arvos» is a real plural. What is the best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Zoe, arvos, best answer · **What happens:** ask, be · **To what, where:** real plural

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 · ★ of lesson 6 «Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones» 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/6-spelling-plurals/#t7).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Zoe asks if «arvos» is a real plural.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:t7:1
# text = Zoe asks if «arvos» is a real plural.
1	Zoe	Zoe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
4	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	arvos	arvo	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	plural	plural	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | Zoe |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | arvos | a real plural |  |  |  |  | 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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What is the best answer?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:t7:2
# text = What is the best answer?
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	5	det	_	_
4	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	5	amod	_	_
5	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, slang words can never be plural

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:t7:o1:1
# text = No, slang words can never be plural
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	8	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	slang	slang	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
5	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
6	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
8	plural	plural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | can | slang words |  |  |  |  | plural *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, the plural is «arvoes», like potatoes and tomatoes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:t7:o2:1
# text = No, the plural is «arvoes», like potatoes and tomatoes
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	plural	plural	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	arvoes	arvoe	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	potatoes	potato	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	appos	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	tomatoes	tomato	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	conj	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, slang follows plural rules, but write «afternoons» at school

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:t7:o3:1
# text = Yes, slang follows plural rules, but write «afternoons» at school
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	3	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	slang	slang	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	follows	follow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	plural	plural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	rules	rule	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	write	write	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	conj	_	_
10	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	afternoons	afternoon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
13	at	at	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | present | slang | plural rules |  |  |  |  | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rule=Theme |
| 2 | **write** | infinitive | slang *not said here* |  |  | school | afternoon |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, and use it in every school essay

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:6-spelling-plurals:t7:o4:1
# text = Yes, and use it in every school essay
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	use	use	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
8	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	essay	essay	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | imperative | you *not said here* | it |  | every school essay |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=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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