---
title: Ascertain the meaning of the expression "to spin a yarn". — Soft words for hard things: lying and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the meaning of the expression "to spin a yarn". Exam question 4 of lesson 29 «Soft words for hard things: lying and honesty and drinking and drugs» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice w
---

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# Exam question 4 · Soft words for hard things: lying and honesty and drinking…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the meaning of the expression "to spin a yarn".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, spin, mean · **To what, where:** meaning, yarn, expression

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 29 «Soft words for hard things: lying and honesty and drinking and drugs» 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/29-lying-and-drinking/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:29-lying-and-drinking:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the meaning of the expression "to spin a yarn".
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	spin	spin	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	yarn	yarn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	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 meaning of the expression |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Topic |
| 2 | **spin** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | a yarn |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent yarn=Theme |
| 3 | **mean** |  |  | the expression |  |  |  |  | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To tie a lengthy knot

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:29-lying-and-drinking:e4:o1:1
# text = To tie a lengthy knot
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	tie	tie	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	lengthy	lengthy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	knot	knot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tie** | to-infinitive |  | a lengthy knot |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent knot=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To play with string

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:29-lying-and-drinking:e4:o2:1
# text = To play with string
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	play	play	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	string	string	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **play** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | with string | vn play-114.2-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent with string=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To manufacture woollen thread

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:29-lying-and-drinking:e4:o3:1
# text = To manufacture woollen thread
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	manufacture	manufacture	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	woollen	woollen	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	thread	thread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

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

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To relate an invented story

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:29-lying-and-drinking:e4:o4:1
# text = To relate an invented story
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	relate	relate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	invented	invent	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **relate** | to-infinitive |  | a invented story |  |  |  |  | vn involve-107.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent story=Theme |
| 2 | **invent** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4-1 «NP 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: lying and…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/29-lying-and-drinking/e3/)
- next →: [Soft words for hard things: drinking a…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/30-drinking-and-drugs/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: lying and honesty and drinking and drugs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/29-lying-and-drinking/)