---
title: Ascertain the plain meaning of the term "pre-owned" when applied to… — Soft words for hard things: work, firi… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the plain meaning of the term "pre-owned" when applied to a motor vehicle offered for sale. Exam question 4 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, with the dependency tree and p
---

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# Exam question 4 · Soft words for hard things: work, firing and the economy a…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the plain meaning of the term "pre-owned" when applied to a motor vehicle offered for sale.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, apply, offer, mean · **To what, where:** plain meaning, motor vehicle, term

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the plain meaning of the term "pre-owned" when applied to a motor vehicle offered for sale.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	plain	plain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	term	term	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	pre-owned	pre-owned	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
11	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	12	advmod	_	_
12	applied	apply	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
15	motor	motor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	vehicle	vehicle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
17	offered	offer	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	16	acl	_	_
18	for	for	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	sale	sale	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	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 plain meaning of the term |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Topic |
| 2 | **apply** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to a motor vehicle | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **offer** | participle |  | a motor vehicle *not said here* |  |  |  | for sale *goal* | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP PP.goal»: agent=Agent for sale=Goal |
| 4 | **mean** |  |  | the term |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication 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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Previously used by another owner

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e4:o1:1
# text = Previously used by another owner
1	Previously	previously	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
2	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
3	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	5	det	_	_
5	owner	owner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | by another owner; previously *property* | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Manufactured prior to the current year

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e4:o2:1
# text = Manufactured prior to the current year
1	Manufactured	manufacture	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
2	prior	prior	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	6	case	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	2	fixed	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	current	current	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **manufacture** | participle |  |  |  |  | year |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Reserved in advance for a purchaser

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e4:o3:1
# text = Reserved in advance for a purchaser
1	Reserved	reserve	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
2	in	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	advance	advance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	purchaser	purchaser	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reserve** | participle |  |  |  | advance |  | for a purchaser | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent for purchaser=Beneficiary |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Never previously driven

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents:e4:o4:1
# text = Never previously driven
1	Never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	2	advmod	_	_
2	previously	previously	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	driven	drive	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 | **drive** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | previously *property* | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP.agent V»: agent=Agent |

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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 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents/e3/)
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