---
title: Ascertain the function of the expression "pardon my French" when app… — Soft words for hard things: rudeness a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the function of the expression "pardon my French" when appended to an utterance. Exam question 3 of lesson 39 «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 option; M
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/e3/)

<!-- 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: rudeness a…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/) / e3

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the function of the expression "pardon my French" when appended to an utterance.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, append · **To what, where:** function

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 39 «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/39-pardon-my-french/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:39-pardon-my-french:e3:1
# text = Ascertain the function of the expression "pardon my French" when appended to an utterance.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	function	function	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	pardon	pardon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
9	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	French	French	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
12	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	13	advmod	_	_
13	appended	append	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	_
14	to	to	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	utterance	utterance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	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 function of the expression |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=Topic |
| 2 | **append** | participle | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | to a utterance | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
A request for translation

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:39-pardon-my-french:e3:o1:1
# text = A request for translation
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	request	request	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	translation	translation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An apology for profanity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:39-pardon-my-french:e3:o2:1
# text = An apology for profanity
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	apology	apology	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	profanity	profanity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A declaration of nationality

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:39-pardon-my-french:e3:o3:1
# text = A declaration of nationality
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	declaration	declaration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	nationality	nationality	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
An apology for a foreign accent

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:39-pardon-my-french:e3:o4:1
# text = An apology for a foreign accent
1	An	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	apology	apology	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	foreign	foreign	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	accent	accent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

<!-- 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: rudeness a…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/e2/)
- next →: [Soft words for hard things: rudeness a…, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/e4/)
- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/)