---
title: Identify the gesture denoted by the expression "the one-finger salut… — Soft words for hard things: rudeness a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the gesture denoted by the expression "the one-finger salute". Exam question 4 of lesson 40 «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; Mova's choice was wr
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/40-with-all-due-respect/e4/)

<!-- 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/40-with-all-due-respect/) / e4

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the gesture denoted by the expression "the one-finger salute".

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

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 40 «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/40-with-all-due-respect/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:e4:1
# text = Identify the gesture denoted by the expression "the one-finger salute".
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	gesture	gesture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	denoted	denote	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
10	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	12	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	finger	finger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	compound	_	_
13	salute	salute	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the gesture |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent gesture=Theme |
| 2 | **denote** | participle |  | the gesture *not said here* |  |  |  | by the expression | vn indicate-78 «NP V how S»: agent=Pivot |

<!-- .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 formal military greeting with the hand

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:e4:o1:1
# text = A formal military greeting with the hand
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	formal	formal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	military	military	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	greeting	greeting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

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

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The raising of the middle finger as an insult

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:e4:o2:1
# text = The raising of the middle finger as an insult
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	raising	raising	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	middle	middle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	finger	finger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	as	as	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	insult	insult	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **raise** |  |  | the middle finger |  |  |  | as a insult | nom raising «event transitive»: of=patient as=obl |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A gesture requesting silence from others

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:e4:o3:1
# text = A gesture requesting silence from others
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	gesture	gesture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	requesting	request	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
4	silence	silence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **request** | gerund | a gesture *not said here* | silence |  | others |  |  | vn beg-58.2 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent silence=Recipient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The indication of a direction with the finger

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:e4:o4:1
# text = The indication of a direction with the finger
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	indication	indication	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	direction	direction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	finger	finger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **indicate** |  |  | a direction with the finger |  |  |  |  | nom indication «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- 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 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/40-with-all-due-respect/e3/)
- next →: [Olympiad: the euphemism detective ★★★, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/41-olympiad-euphemism-detective/t1/)
- ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/40-with-all-due-respect/)