---
title: It is given that a retailer announces a "price adjustment" in respec… — Soft words for hard things: work, firi… · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a retailer announces a "price adjustment" in respect of its goods. Select the response most consistent with customary usage. Exam question 2 of lesson 22 «Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy and business and advertising» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primar
---

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# Exam question 2 · Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy a…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a retailer announces a "price adjustment" in respect of its goods. Select the response most consistent with customary usage.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** retailer, you · **What happens:** give, announce, respect, select · **To what, where:** It, price adjustment, respect, goods, response

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 22 «Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy and business and advertising» 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/22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents/#e2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a retailer announces a "price adjustment" in respect of its goods.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e2:1
# text = It is given that a retailer announces a "price adjustment" in respect of its goods.
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	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	retailer	retailer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	announces	announce	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
9	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	price	price	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	adjustment	adjustment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	17	nmod:poss	_	_
17	goods	goods	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	14	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **announce** *speech: other* | present | a retailer | a price adjustment |  | respect of retailer's goods |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent adjustment=Theme |
| 3 | **respect** |  |  | retailer's goods |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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:* Select the response most consistent with customary usage.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e2:2
# text = Select the response most consistent with customary usage.
1	Select	select	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	5	advmod	_	_
5	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	customary	customary	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	usage	usage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **select** | imperative | you *not said here* | the response |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prices are to remain unaltered

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e2:o1:1
# text = The prices are to remain unaltered
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prices	price	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	remain	remain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	unaltered	unaltered	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	xcomp	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The goods are to be withdrawn from sale

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e2:o2:1
# text = The goods are to be withdrawn from sale
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	goods	goods	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	withdrawn	withdraw	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	sale	sale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **withdraw** | present · passive |  | the goods |  | sale |  |  | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP PP»: subject=Theme from sale=Initial\_Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prices are to be increased

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e2:o3:1
# text = The prices are to be increased
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prices	price	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	increased	increase	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **increase** | present · passive |  | the prices |  |  |  |  | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V NP.patient»: subject=Patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prices are to be reduced

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e2:o4:1
# text = The prices are to be reduced
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prices	price	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
5	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	reduced	reduce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reduce** | present · passive |  | the prices |  |  |  |  | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: subject=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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- ← previous: [Soft words for hard things: work, firi…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents/e1/)
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- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy and business and advertising](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents/)