---
title: Ascertain the plain meaning of the old-fashioned expression "in the… — Soft words for hard things: illness, d… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the plain meaning of the old-fashioned expression "in the family way". Exam question 4 of lesson 4 «Soft words for hard things: illness, disability and the body» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; M
---

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# Exam question 4 · Soft words for hard things: illness, disability and the body

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the plain meaning of the old-fashioned expression "in the family way".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, mean · **To what, where:** plain meaning, fashioned expression

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 4 «Soft words for hard things: illness, disability and the body» 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/4-illness-disability-and-babies/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:4-illness-disability-and-babies:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the plain meaning of the old-fashioned expression "in the family way".
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	plain	plain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
7	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	fashioned	fashioned	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	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 plain meaning of the fashioned expression in the family way |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Topic |
| 2 | **mean** |  |  | the fashioned expression in the family way |  |  |  |  | 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Obstructing the household

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:4-illness-disability-and-babies:e4:o1:1
# text = Obstructing the household
1	Obstructing	obstruct	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	household	household	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **obstruct** | gerund |  | the household |  |  |  |  | vn discourage-64.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer household=Eventuality |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Exhibiting a family resemblance

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:4-illness-disability-and-babies:e4:o2:1
# text = Exhibiting a family resemblance
1	Exhibiting	exhibit	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	family	family	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	resemblance	resemblance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **exhibit** | gerund |  | a family resemblance |  |  |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent resemblance=Theme |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pregnant

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:4-illness-disability-and-babies:e4:o3:1
# text = Pregnant
1	Pregnant	pregnant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Residing with one's relatives

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:4-illness-disability-and-babies:e4:o4:1
# text = Residing with one's relatives
1	Residing	reside	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	one	one	PRON	PRP	Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	's	PART	POS	_	3	case	_	_
5	relatives	relative	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reside** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | with one's relatives | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme with relative=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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