---
title: Gossip at the school gate: "Her dad's been on garden leave since Mar… — Soft words for hard things: work, firi… · tree and pragmatics
description: Gossip at the school gate: "Her dad's been on garden leave since March." What is really going on? Test 2 · ★ of lesson 21 «Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each 
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/21-work-firing-and-the-economy/t2/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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: work, firi…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/21-work-firing-and-the-economy/) / t2

# Test 2 · ★ · Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Gossip at the school gate: "Her dad's been on garden leave since March." What is really going on?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Gossip · **What happens:** be, go on · **To what, where:** garden leave

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 · ★ of lesson 21 «Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy» of the euphemisms 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/euphemisms/21-work-firing-and-the-economy/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Gossip at the school gate: "Her dad's been on garden leave since March."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:21-work-firing-and-the-economy:t2:1
# text = Gossip at the school gate: "Her dad's been on garden leave since March."
1	Gossip	gossip	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
2	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	gate	gate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	Her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
11	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	14	cop	_	_
12	on	on	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	garden	garden	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	leave	leave	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
15	since	since	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
16	March	March	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | Gossip at the school gate | garden leave |  |  | march |  | 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 really going on?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:21-work-firing-and-the-economy:t2:2
# text = What is really going on?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	really	really	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go on** | present · progressive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn function-105.2.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is on a long paid holiday abroad

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:21-work-firing-and-the-economy:t2:o1:1
# text = He is on a long paid holiday abroad
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
5	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	paid	pay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	amod	_	_
7	holiday	holiday	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	abroad	abroad	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .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 | **is** | present | He |  |  | a long paid holiday |  | abroad *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He has been planting a new garden at work

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:21-work-firing-and-the-economy:t2:o2:1
# text = He has been planting a new garden at work
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	4	aux	_	_
4	planting	plant	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	garden	garden	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	work	work	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **plant** | present · perfect · progressive | He | a new garden |  | work |  |  | vn put-9.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent garden=Theme at work=Destination |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He has been off sick with a bad back

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:21-work-firing-and-the-economy:t2:o3:1
# text = He has been off sick with a bad back
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	5	cop	_	_
4	off	off	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	sick	sick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	back	back	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present · perfect | He |  |  |  |  | with a bad back; sick *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is paid to stay home until his notice ends

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:21-work-firing-and-the-economy:t2:o4:1
# text = He is paid to stay home until his notice ends
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|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	paid	pay	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	stay	stay	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	home	home	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	notice	notice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	ends	end	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pay** | present · passive |  | He |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **stay** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | home *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **end** | present | his notice |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 4 | **notice** |  | his *= he* |  |  |  |  |  | nom notice «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- div src -->

**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.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Soft words for hard things: work, firi…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/21-work-firing-and-the-economy/t1/)
- next →: [Soft words for hard things: work, firi…, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/21-work-firing-and-the-economy/t3/)
- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/21-work-firing-and-the-economy/)