--- title: It is stated that a couple "started a family" in the preceding year.… — Soft words for hard things: pregnancy… · tree and pragmatics description: It is stated that a couple "started a family" in the preceding year. Ascertain what is thereby communicated. Exam question 3 of lesson 11 «Soft words for hard things: pregnancy and birth» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and o --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/11-pregnancy-and-birth/e3/) [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/) / [Euphemisms](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/) / [Soft words for hard things: pregnancy…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/11-pregnancy-and-birth/) / e3 # Exam question 3 · Soft words for hard things: pregnancy and birth It is stated that a couple "started a family" in the preceding year. Ascertain what is thereby communicated. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** couple, you · **What happens:** state, start, precede, ascertain, communicate · **To what, where:** It, family · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is exam question 3 of lesson 11 «Soft words for hard things: pregnancy and birth» of the euphemisms 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/euphemisms/11-pregnancy-and-birth/#e3). ## The question {#question} *Sentence 1:* It is stated that a couple "started a family" in the preceding year. ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:11-pregnancy-and-birth:e3:1 # text = It is stated that a couple "started a family" in the preceding year. 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj:pass _ _ 2 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux:pass _ _ 3 stated state VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 4 that that SCONJ IN _ 8 mark _ _ 5 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 couple couple NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nsubj _ _ 7 " " PUNCT '' _ 6 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 8 started start VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 advcl _ _ 9 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 family family NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 11 " " PUNCT '' _ 10 punct _ _ 12 in in ADP IN _ 15 case _ _ 13 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 15 det _ _ 14 preceding precede VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 15 amod _ _ 15 year year NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 16 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **state** *speech: other* | present · passive | | It | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: subject=Topic | | 2 | **start** *in a quote* | past | a couple | a family | | | year | | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent family=Eventuality | | 3 | **precede** | gerund | | | | | | | vn contiguous\_location-47.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme | 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. *Sentence 2:* Ascertain what is thereby communicated. ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:11-pregnancy-and-birth:e3:2 # text = Ascertain what is thereby communicated. 1 Ascertain ascertain VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 2 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 5 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 aux:pass _ _ 4 thereby thereby ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 5 communicated communicate VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 1 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 6 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **communicate** | present · passive | | | | | | thereby *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Topic | ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1} They were married ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:11-pregnancy-and-birth:e3:o1:1 # text = They were married 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj:pass _ _ 2 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux:pass _ _ 3 married marry VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **marry** | past · passive | | They | | | | | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient | ### Option 2 {#o2} They adopted a domestic animal ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:11-pregnancy-and-birth:e3:o2:1 # text = They adopted a domestic animal 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 adopted adopt VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 domestic domestic ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 animal animal NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **adopt** | past | They | a domestic animal | | | | | vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent animal=Theme | ### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3} They had their first child ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:11-pregnancy-and-birth:e3:o3:1 # text = They had their first child 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 had have VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 5 nmod:poss _ _ 4 first first ADJ JJ Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 5 amod _ _ 5 child child NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **have** | past | They | their first child | | | | | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent child=Patient | ### Option 4 {#o4} They acquired a residence ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:11-pregnancy-and-birth:e3:o4:1 # text = They acquired a residence 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 acquired acquire VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 residence residence NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **acquire** | past | They | a residence | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset residence=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: [Soft words for hard things: pregnancy…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/11-pregnancy-and-birth/e2/) - next →: [Soft words for hard things: pregnancy…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/11-pregnancy-and-birth/e4/) - ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: pregnancy and birth](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/11-pregnancy-and-birth/)