---
title: It is stated that a public figure is accompanied by "her companion o… — Soft words for hard things: pregnancy… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is stated that a public figure is accompanied by "her companion of many years". Ascertain the nature of the relationship thereby indicated. Exam question 3 of lesson 12 «Soft words for hard things: pregnancy and birth and relations and family» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, wi
---

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# Exam question 3 · Soft words for hard things: pregnancy and birth and relati…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is stated that a public figure is accompanied by "her companion of many years". Ascertain the nature of the relationship thereby indicated.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** companion, you · **What happens:** state, accompany, ascertain, indicate · **To what, where:** It, public figure, nature, relationship

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This is exam question 3 of lesson 12 «Soft words for hard things: pregnancy and birth and relations and family» 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/12-birth-and-couples/#e3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is stated that a public figure is accompanied by "her companion of many years".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:12-birth-and-couples:e3:1
# text = It is stated that a public figure is accompanied by "her companion of many years".
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	_	9	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	figure	figure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	accompanied	accompany	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
10	by	by	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	companion	companion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | 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 | **accompany** | present · passive | her companion of many years | a public figure |  |  |  |  | vn accompany-51.7 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Theme |

<!-- .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:* Ascertain the nature of the relationship thereby indicated.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:12-birth-and-couples:e3:2
# text = Ascertain the nature of the relationship thereby indicated.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	nature	nature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	relationship	relationship	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	indicated	indicate	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the nature of the relationship |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nature=Topic |
| 2 | **indicate** | participle |  | the relationship *not said here* |  |  |  | thereby *property* | vn indicate-78-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A domestic animal

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:12-birth-and-couples:e3:o1:1
# text = A domestic animal
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	domestic	domestic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	animal	animal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A long-standing partner to whom she is not married

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:12-birth-and-couples:e3:o2:1
# text = A long-standing partner to whom she is not married
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
2	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	standing	stand	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	partner	partner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	whom	whom	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	5	nmod	_	_
8	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
10	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	married	marry	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stand** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **marry** | present · passive |  | she |  |  |  |  | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A paid employee providing care

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:12-birth-and-couples:e3:o3:1
# text = A paid employee providing care
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	paid	pay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	amod	_	_
3	employee	employee	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	providing	provide	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
5	care	care	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pay** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn pay-68-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **provide** | gerund | a paid employee *not said here* | care |  |  |  |  | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition care=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A childhood acquaintance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:12-birth-and-couples:e3:o4:1
# text = A childhood acquaintance
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	childhood	childhood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	acquaintance	acquaintance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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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