---
title: A boss and worker can't agree, and the boss says "Let's agree to dis… — Soft words for hard things: rudeness a… · tree and pragmatics
description: A boss and worker can't agree, and the boss says "Let's agree to disagree." What happens next? Test 13 · ★★★ 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;
---

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# Test 13 · ★★★ · Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A boss and worker can't agree, and the boss says "Let's agree to disagree." What happens next?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** boss, 's · **What happens:** not agree, say, let, agree, disagree, happen · **To what, where:** 's · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is test 13 · ★★★ of lesson 40 «Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school. 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/#t13).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A boss and worker can't agree, and the boss says "Let's agree to disagree."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:t13:1
# text = A boss and worker can't agree, and the boss says "Let's agree to disagree."
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	boss	boss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	worker	worker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
5	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	agree	agree	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	boss	boss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	parataxis	_	_
13	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	Let	let	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	's	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
16	agree	agree	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	14	xcomp	_	_
17	to	to	PART	TO	_	18	mark	_	_
18	disagree	disagree	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	16	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **agree** *speech: agree* | can | a boss and worker |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | the boss |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **let** *in a quote* | infinitive |  | 's |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **agree** *speech: agree* *in a quote* | infinitive | 's *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 5 | **disagree** *not said to happen, in a quote* | to-infinitive | 's *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What happens next?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:t13:2
# text = What happens next?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	2	nsubj	_	_
2	happens	happen	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	next	next	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **happen** | present |  |  |  |  |  | next *property* | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The worker wins the argument

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:t13:o1:1
# text = The worker wins the argument
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	worker	worker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wins	win	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	argument	argument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **win** | present | the worker | the argument |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent argument=Eventuality |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They both agree with each other in the end after all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:t13:o2:1
# text = They both agree with each other in the end after all
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	3	nsubj	_	_
3	agree	agree	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	each	each	DET	DT	ExtPos=PRON|PronType=Rcp	3	obl	_	_
6	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	fixed	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
10	after	after	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **agree** *speech: agree* | present | They |  |  |  | in the end after all | with each | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V PP.co-agent how S»: agent=Agent with each=Co-Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The argument stops; neither changes their mind

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:t13:o3:1
# text = The argument stops; neither changes their mind
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	argument	argument	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	stops	stop	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	6	punct	_	_
5	neither	neither	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	6	nsubj	_	_
6	changes	change	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
7	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	mind	mind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | present | the argument |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 2 | **change** | present | neither | their mind |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mind=Patient |
| 3 | **mind** |  | their *= they* |  |  |  |  |  | nom mind «cognition transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The boss changes her mind

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:40-with-all-due-respect:t13:o4:1
# text = The boss changes her mind
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	boss	boss	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	changes	change	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	mind	mind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | present | the boss | boss's mind |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mind=Patient |
| 2 | **mind** |  | boss |  |  |  |  |  | nom mind «cognition transitive»: poss=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.

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