---
title: News: "A 34-year-old man is helping police with their inquiries afte… — Soft words for hard things: crime, pri… · tree and pragmatics
description: News: "A 34-year-old man is helping police with their inquiries after the robbery." What is really happening? Test 1 · ★ of lesson 27 «Soft words for hard things: crime, prison and the police» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question 
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/27-crime-prison-and-police/t1/)

<!-- 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: crime, pri…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/27-crime-prison-and-police/) / t1

# Test 1 · ★ · Soft words for hard things: crime, prison and the police

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
News: "A 34-year-old man is helping police with their inquiries after the robbery." What is really happening?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** News, police · **What happens:** help, inquire, happen · **To what, where:** police

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 · ★ of lesson 27 «Soft words for hard things: crime, prison and the police» 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/27-crime-prison-and-police/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* News: "A 34-year-old man is helping police with their inquiries after the robbery."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:27-crime-prison-and-police:t1:1
# text = News: "A 34-year-old man is helping police with their inquiries after the robbery."
1	News	news	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	1	punct	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
5	34	34	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	7	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	year	year	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	helping	help	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
13	police	police	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obj	_	_
14	with	with	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	16	nmod:poss	_	_
16	inquiries	inquiry	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obl	_	_
17	after	after	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
18	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
19	robbery	robbery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** *in a quote* | present · progressive | News | police |  |  |  | with police's inquiries after the robbery | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent police=Beneficiary with inquiry=Theme |
| 2 | **inquire** *in a quote* |  | police |  |  |  | after the robbery |  | nom inquiry «cognition transitive»: poss=agent after=obl |

<!-- .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 happening?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:27-crime-prison-and-police:t1:2
# text = What is really happening?
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	happening	happen	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **happen** | present · progressive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is being questioned as a suspect in the robbery

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:27-crime-prison-and-police:t1:o1:1
# text = He is being questioned as a suspect in the robbery
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	questioned	question	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	suspect	suspect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	robbery	robbery	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **question** *speech: other* | present · passive |  | He |  | the robbery |  | as a suspect | vn interrogate-37.1.3 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Recipient as suspect=Attribute |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is a witness who saw nothing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:27-crime-prison-and-police:t1:o2:1
# text = He is a witness who saw nothing
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	witness	witness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	saw	see	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
7	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | He | a witness |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **see** | past | a witness | nothing |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer nothing=Stimulus |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He found the stolen money

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:27-crime-prison-and-police:t1:o3:1
# text = He found the stolen money
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	found	find	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	stolen	steal	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find** | past | He | the stolen money |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent money=Topic |
| 2 | **steal** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is a volunteer detective

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:27-crime-prison-and-police:t1:o4:1
# text = He is a volunteer detective
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	volunteer	volunteer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	detective	detective	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | He | a volunteer detective |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- 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: war, the m…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/26-war-and-the-military/e4/)
- next →: [Soft words for hard things: crime, pri…, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/27-crime-prison-and-police/t2/)
- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: crime, prison and the police](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/27-crime-prison-and-police/)