---
title: Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "to… — Soft words for hard things: the toilet… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "to spend a penny" in traditional British usage. Exam question 1 of lesson 6 «Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions» of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the
---

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# Exam question 1 · Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "to spend a penny" in traditional British usage.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, convey, spend · **To what, where:** meaning, penny, traditional British usage

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 6 «Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions» 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/6-toilet-words/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e1:1
# text = Identify the meaning most accurately conveyed by the expression "to spend a penny" in traditional British usage.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	6	advmod	_	_
5	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	to	to	PART	TO	_	12	mark	_	_
12	spend	spend	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	advcl	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	penny	penny	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
17	traditional	traditional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
18	British	British	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	usage	usage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	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 meaning |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |
| 2 | **convey** | participle |  | the meaning *not said here* |  |  |  | by the expression; accurately *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **spend** *in a quote* | to-infinitive |  | a penny |  | traditional British usage |  |  | vn consume-66-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent penny=Asset |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To deposit a coin in a savings account

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e1:o1:1
# text = To deposit a coin in a savings account
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	deposit	deposit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	coin	coin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	savings	savings	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	8	compound	_	_
8	account	account	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **deposit** | to-infinitive |  | a coin |  | a savings account |  |  | vn put-9.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent coin=Theme in account=Destination |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To make a purchase of negligible value

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e1:o2:1
# text = To make a purchase of negligible value
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	purchase	purchase	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	negligible	negligible	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	value	value	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | to-infinitive |  | a purchase of negligible value |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset purchase=Product |
| 2 | **purchase** |  |  | negligible value |  |  |  |  | nom purchase «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To make use of a toilet

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e1:o3:1
# text = To make use of a toilet
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	make	make	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	toilet	toilet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | to-infinitive |  | use of a toilet |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset use=Product |
| 2 | **use** |  |  | a toilet |  |  |  |  | nom use «act transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To donate a small sum to charity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:e1:o4:1
# text = To donate a small sum to charity
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	donate	donate	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	sum	sum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	charity	charity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **donate** | to-infinitive |  | a small sum | charity |  |  |  | vn contribute-13.2-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent sum=Theme to charity=Recipient |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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- ← previous: [Soft words for hard things: the toilet…, test 13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/6-toilet-words/t13/)
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