---
title: Identify the principal meaning of the expression "to pass gas" in co… — Soft words for hard things: the toilet… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal meaning of the expression "to pass gas" in contemporary American usage. Exam question 1 of lesson 7 «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 e
---

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal meaning of the expression "to pass gas" in contemporary American usage.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, pass, mean · **To what, where:** principal meaning, gas, contemporary American usage, expression

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 7 «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/7-wind-sick-and-runs/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:7-wind-sick-and-runs:e1:1
# text = Identify the principal meaning of the expression "to pass gas" in contemporary American usage.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	pass	pass	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
11	gas	gas	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
14	contemporary	contemporary	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
15	American	American	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	usage	usage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	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 principal meaning of the expression |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |
| 2 | **pass** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | gas |  | contemporary American usage |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP PP.destinations»: agent=Agent gas=Theme in usage=Destination |
| 3 | **mean** |  |  | the expression |  |  |  |  | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To expel gas from the body; to fart

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:7-wind-sick-and-runs:e1:o1:1
# text = To expel gas from the body; to fart
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	expel	expel	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	gas	gas	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
4	from	from	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	body	body	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	fart	fart	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **expel** | to-infinitive |  | gas |  | the body |  |  | vn banish-10.2 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent gas=Theme from body=Source |
| 2 | **fart** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn hiccup-40.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To transfer a gas cylinder to another person

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:7-wind-sick-and-runs:e1:o2:1
# text = To transfer a gas cylinder to another person
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	transfer	transfer	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	gas	gas	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	cylinder	cylinder	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **transfer** | to-infinitive |  | a gas cylinder | another person |  |  |  | vn contribute-13.2-2 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent cylinder=Theme to person=Recipient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To refuel a motor vehicle

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:7-wind-sick-and-runs:e1:o3:1
# text = To refuel a motor vehicle
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	refuel	refuel	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	motor	motor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	vehicle	vehicle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **refuel** | to-infinitive |  | a motor vehicle |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To overtake a vehicle on the road

```conllu
# sent_id = question:euphemisms:7-wind-sick-and-runs:e1:o4:1
# text = To overtake a vehicle on the road
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	overtake	overtake	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	vehicle	vehicle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	road	road	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **overtake** | to-infinitive |  | a vehicle |  | the road |  |  | tree rules |

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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/7-wind-sick-and-runs/t13/)
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