--- title: Identify the principal function of the expression "mistakes were mad… — Soft words for hard things: politics a… · tree and pragmatics description: Identify the principal function of the expression "mistakes were made" in an official statement. Exam question 1 of lesson 24 «Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of e --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/24-government-spin/e1/) [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: politics a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/24-government-spin/) / e1 # Exam question 1 · Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin Identify the principal function of the expression "mistakes were made" in an official statement. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, expression · **What happens:** identify, make · **To what, where:** principal function, mistakes, official statement This is exam question 1 of lesson 24 «Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin» 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/24-government-spin/#e1). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:e1:1 # text = Identify the principal function of the expression "mistakes were made" in an official statement. 1 Identify identify VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 principal principal ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 function function 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 expression expression NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nmod _ _ 8 " " PUNCT '' _ 7 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 9 mistakes mistake NOUN NNS Number=Plur 11 nsubj:pass _ _ 10 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 11 aux:pass _ _ 11 made make VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 7 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 12 " " PUNCT '' _ 11 punct _ _ 13 in in ADP IN _ 16 case _ _ 14 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 15 official official ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 16 amod _ _ 16 statement statement NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 17 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal function of the expression | | | | | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent function=Theme | | 2 | **make** *in a quote* | past · passive | the expression *not said here* | mistakes | | a official statement | | | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product | 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 {#o1} To deny that any error occurred ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:e1:o1:1 # text = To deny that any error occurred 1 To to PART TO _ 2 mark _ _ 2 deny deny VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 that that SCONJ IN _ 6 mark _ _ 4 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 5 det _ _ 5 error error NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 nsubj _ _ 6 occurred occur VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 2 ccomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **deny** | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 2 | **occur** | past | any error | | | | | | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | ### Option 2 {#o2} To attribute the error to a named official ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:e1:o2:1 # text = To attribute the error to a named official 1 To to PART TO _ 2 mark _ _ 2 attribute attribute VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 error error NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 5 to to ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 6 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 7 named name VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 8 amod _ _ 8 official official NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **attribute** | to-infinitive | | the error | | | | to a named official | tree rules | | 2 | **name** | participle | | | | | | | vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | ### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3} To acknowledge error whilst concealing the responsible party ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:e1:o3:1 # text = To acknowledge error whilst concealing the responsible party 1 To to PART TO _ 2 mark _ _ 2 acknowledge acknowledge VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 error error NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 4 whilst whilst SCONJ IN _ 5 mark _ _ 5 concealing conceal VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 2 advcl _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 7 responsible responsible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 8 amod _ _ 8 party party NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **acknowledge** | to-infinitive | | error | | | | | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent error=Topic | | 2 | **conceal** | gerund | | the responsible party | | | | | vn concealment-16 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent party=Patient | ### Option 4 {#o4} To specify the date of the error ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:24-government-spin:e1:o4:1 # text = To specify the date of the error 1 To to PART TO _ 2 mark _ _ 2 specify specify VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 date date NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 5 of of ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 error error NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **specify** | to-infinitive | | the date of the error | | | | | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent date=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: politics a…, test 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/24-government-spin/t12/) - next →: [Soft words for hard things: politics a…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/24-government-spin/e2/) - ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: politics and government spin](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/24-government-spin/)