---
title: Where an individual exclaims "Sugar!" upon suffering a misfortune, d… — Soft words for hard things: rudeness a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Where an individual exclaims "Sugar!" upon suffering a misfortune, determine the principal function of the utterance. Exam question 4 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 que
---

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# Exam question 4 · Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Where an individual exclaims "Sugar!" upon suffering a misfortune, determine the principal function of the utterance.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** individual, you · **What happens:** exclaim, suffer, determine · **To what, where:** Sugar, misfortune, principal function

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This is exam question 4 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/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e4:1
# text = Where an individual exclaims "Sugar!" upon suffering a misfortune, determine the principal function of the utterance.
1	Where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	4	advmod	_	_
2	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	individual	individual	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	exclaims	exclaim	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	advcl	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	Sugar	sugar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
9	upon	upon	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
10	suffering	suffer	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	misfortune	misfortune	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
14	determine	determine	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	function	function	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
18	of	of	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	utterance	utterance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exclaim** *speech: express* | present | a individual | Sugar |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent sugar=Topic |
| 2 | **suffer** | gerund | a individual *not said here* | a misfortune |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer misfortune=Stimulus |
| 3 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal function of the utterance |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To report the depletion of household provisions

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e4:o1:1
# text = To report the depletion of household provisions
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	report	report	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	depletion	depletion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	household	household	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	provisions	provision	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **report** | to-infinitive |  | the depletion of household provisions |  |  |  |  | vn prosecute-33.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent depletion=Patient |
| 2 | **deplete** |  |  | household provisions |  |  |  |  | nom depletion «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To request a sweetener for a beverage

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e4:o2:1
# text = To request a sweetener for a beverage
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	request	request	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	sweetener	sweetener	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	beverage	beverage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **request** | to-infinitive |  | a sweetener |  |  |  | for a beverage | vn beg-58.2 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent sweetener=Recipient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To address a loved one affectionately

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e4:o3:1
# text = To address a loved one affectionately
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	address	address	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	loved	love	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	affectionately	affectionately	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **address** | to-infinitive |  | a loved one |  |  |  | affectionately *property* | vn illustrate-25.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent one=Destination |
| 2 | **love** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To express vexation whilst avoiding a vulgar oath

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:38-drat-and-the-f-word:e4:o4:1
# text = To express vexation whilst avoiding a vulgar oath
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	express	express	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	vexation	vexation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	whilst	whilst	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	avoiding	avoid	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	vulgar	vulgar	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	oath	oath	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **express** | to-infinitive |  | vexation |  |  |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent vexation=Theme |
| 2 | **avoid** | gerund |  | a vulgar oath |  |  |  |  | vn avoid-52 «NP V NP.location»: agent=Agent oath=Location |

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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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