---
title: Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning… — Soft words for hard things: rudeness a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of the phrase "the s-word". Exam question 3 of lesson 38 «Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each opti
---

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# Exam question 3 · Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of the phrase "the s-word".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, response · **What happens:** select, be, establish, mean · **To what, where:** response, phrase

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 38 «Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing» 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/38-drat-and-the-f-word/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e3:1
# text = Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of the phrase "the s-word".
1	Select	select	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	amod	_	_
10	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	phrase	phrase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	_
14	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
16	s	s	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **select** | imperative | you *not said here* | the response |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present | the response |  |  |  |  | with the established meaning of the phrase; consistent *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 4 | **mean** |  |  | the phrase |  |  |  |  | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A circumlocution naming a vulgar swear word without uttering it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e3:o1:1
# text = A circumlocution naming a vulgar swear word without uttering it
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	circumlocution	circumlocution	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	naming	name	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
5	vulgar	vulgar	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	swear	swear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
8	without	without	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	uttering	utter	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **name** | gerund | a circumlocution *not said here* | a vulgar swear word |  |  |  |  | vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent word=Theme |
| 2 | **utter** *speech: other* | gerund | a circumlocution *not said here* | word |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent it=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A formal synonym for the word "stupid"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e3:o2:1
# text = A formal synonym for the word "stupid"
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	formal	formal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	synonym	synonym	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	stupid	stupid	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An abbreviation of the word "sorry"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e3:o3:1
# text = An abbreviation of the word "sorry"
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	abbreviation	abbreviation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	sorry	sorry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **abbreviate** |  |  | the word |  |  |  |  | nom abbreviation «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A password employed by secret societies of the nineteenth century

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e3:o4:1
# text = A password employed by secret societies of the nineteenth century
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	password	password	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	secret	secret	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	societies	society	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	nineteenth	nineteenth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	century	century	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **employ** | participle |  | a password *not said here* |  |  |  | by secret societies of the nineteenth century | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: 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.

<!-- /div -->

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