--- title: Mia reckons "the john" means the boss in American offices. Is she ri… — Soft words for hard things: the toilet… · tree and pragmatics description: Mia reckons "the john" means the boss in American offices. Is she right? Test 13 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 question and of each option; Mova's choice was --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/6-toilet-words/t13/) [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: the toilet…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/6-toilet-words/) / t13 # Test 13 · Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions Mia reckons "the john" means the boss in American offices. Is she right? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Mia, john · **What happens:** reckon, mean, be · **To what, where:** boss This is test 13 of lesson 6 «Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions» 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/6-toilet-words/#t13). ## The question {#question} *Sentence 1:* Mia reckons "the john" means the boss in American offices. ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:t13:1 # text = Mia reckons "the john" means the boss in American offices. 1 Mia Mia PROPN NNP Number=Sing 2 nsubj _ _ 2 reckons reckon VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 " " PUNCT `` _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 john john NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 6 " " PUNCT '' _ 5 punct _ _ 7 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 2 parataxis _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 boss boss NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obj _ _ 10 in in ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 11 American American ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 12 amod _ _ 12 offices office NOUN NNS Number=Plur 9 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 13 . . PUNCT . _ 2 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **reckon** | present | Mia | | | | | | vn consider-29.9-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **mean** | present | the john | the boss | | | | in American offices | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot boss=Theme in office=Attribute | 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. *Sentence 2:* Is she right? ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:t13:2 # text = Is she right? 1 Is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 cop _ _ 2 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 3 right right ADV RB _ 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 4 ? ? PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | john | | | | | right *property* | tree rules | ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1} No, it is slang for the toilet ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:t13:o1:1 # text = No, it is slang for the toilet 1 No no INTJ UH Polarity=Neg 5 discourse _ SpaceAfter=No 2 , , PUNCT , _ 1 punct _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 5 nsubj _ _ 4 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 5 slang slang NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 6 for for ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 toilet toilet NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | it | slang | | | | for the toilet | tree rules | ### Option 2 {#o2} Yes, it means the boss ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:t13:o2:1 # text = Yes, it means the boss 1 Yes yes INTJ UH Polarity=Pos 4 discourse _ SpaceAfter=No 2 , , PUNCT , _ 1 punct _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 4 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 boss boss NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mean** | present | it | the boss | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent boss=Topic | ### Option 3 {#o3} Yes, it means a man's office ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:t13:o3:1 # text = Yes, it means a man's office 1 Yes yes INTJ UH Polarity=Pos 4 discourse _ SpaceAfter=No 2 , , PUNCT , _ 1 punct _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 4 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 7 's 's PART POS _ 6 case _ _ 8 office office NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mean** | present | it | a man's office | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent office=Topic | ### Option 4 {#o4} No, it means the lift ```conllu # sent_id = question:euphemisms:6-toilet-words:t13:o4:1 # text = No, it means the lift 1 No no INTJ UH Polarity=Neg 4 discourse _ SpaceAfter=No 2 , , PUNCT , _ 1 punct _ _ 3 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 4 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 lift lift NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mean** | present | it | the lift | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent lift=Topic | **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. - ← previous: [Soft words for hard things: the toilet…, test 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/6-toilet-words/t12/) - next →: [Soft words for hard things: the toilet…, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/6-toilet-words/e1/) - ↑ back to [Soft words for hard things: the toilet and bodily functions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/6-toilet-words/)