---
title: Ascertain the meaning of the expression "a damp squib" as employed i… — Soft words for hard things: failure an… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the meaning of the expression "a damp squib" as employed in respect of a public event in the United Kingdom. Exam question 2 of lesson 34 «Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the que
---

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# Exam question 2 · Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the meaning of the expression "a damp squib" as employed in respect of a public event in the United Kingdom.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, employ, mean, respect · **To what, where:** meaning, respect, expression, public event

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 34 «Soft words for hard things: failure and mistakes» 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/34-failure-and-mistakes/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e2:1
# text = Ascertain the meaning of the expression "a damp squib" as employed in respect of a public event in the United Kingdom.
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	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	damp	damp	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	squib	squib	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
12	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
13	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
18	public	public	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod	_	_
20	in	in	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
22	United	United	PROPN	NNP	_	23	flat	_	_
23	Kingdom	Kingdom	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	19	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	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 | **employ** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  | respect of a public event in the United Kingdom |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **mean** |  |  | the expression |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |
| 4 | **respect** |  |  | a public event in the United Kingdom |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An event curtailed by inclement weather that nonetheless succeeded

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e2:o1:1
# text = An event curtailed by inclement weather that nonetheless succeeded
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	curtailed	curtail	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	inclement	inclement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	9	obj	_	_
8	nonetheless	nonetheless	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	succeeded	succeed	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **curtail** | participle |  | a event *not said here* |  |  |  | by inclement weather | tree rules |
| 2 | **succeed** | past |  | inclement weather |  |  |  | nonetheless *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An exhibition of marine fauna

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e2:o2:1
# text = An exhibition of marine fauna
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	exhibition	exhibition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	marine	marine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	fauna	fauna	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exhibit** |  |  | marine fauna |  |  |  |  | nom exhibition «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An event of exceptional brilliance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e2:o3:1
# text = An event of exceptional brilliance
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	event	event	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	exceptional	exceptional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	brilliance	brilliance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A disappointing failure

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:34-failure-and-mistakes:e2:o4:1
# text = A disappointing failure
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	disappointing	disappointing	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	failure	failure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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