---
title: Mia says: "Old Nick means Father Christmas, right? St Nicholas!" Is… — Soft words for hard things: drinking a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Mia says: "Old Nick means Father Christmas, right? St Nicholas!" Is she right? Test 12 of lesson 31 «Soft words for hard things: drinking and drugs and religion and fate» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mo
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate/t12/)

<!-- 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: drinking a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate/) / t12

# Test 12 · Soft words for hard things: drinking and drugs and religio…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mia says: "Old Nick means Father Christmas, right? St Nicholas!" Is she right?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Mia, Old Nick, Nick · **What happens:** say, mean, be · **To what, where:** Father · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 12 of lesson 31 «Soft words for hard things: drinking and drugs and religion and fate» 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/31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate/#t12).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Mia says: "Old Nick means Father Christmas, right?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:t12:1
# text = Mia says: "Old Nick means Father Christmas, right?
1	Mia	Mia	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	Old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	Nick	Nick	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	ccomp	_	_
8	Father	Father	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
9	Christmas	Christmas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
11	right	right	INTJ	UH	_	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: ask* | present | Mia |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **mean** *in a quote* | present | Old Nick | Father |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent father=Topic |

<!-- .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:* St Nicholas!"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:t12:2
# text = St Nicholas!"
1	St	St	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod:desc	_	_
2	Nicholas	Nicholas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Is she right?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:t12:3
# text = Is she right?
1	Is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
2	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	right	right	ADV	RB	_	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, it is Father Christmas

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:t12:o1:1
# text = Yes, it is Father Christmas
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	Father	Father	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	flat	_	_
6	Christmas	Christmas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, Old Nick means the Devil

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:t12:o2:1
# text = No, Old Nick means the Devil
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	3	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	Old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	Nick	Nick	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	Devil	Devil	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Old Nick | the Devil |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent devil=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, it means a thief

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:t12:o3:1
# text = No, it means a thief
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	thief	thief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | it | a thief |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thief=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, it means any old man

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate:t12:o4:1
# text = Yes, it means any old man
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	7	det	_	_
6	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | it | any old man |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent man=Topic |

<!-- 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: drinking a…, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate/t11/)
- next →: [Soft words for hard things: drinking a…, test 13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate/t13/)
- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: drinking and drugs and religion and fate](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/31-drinking-drugs-religion-fate/)