---
title: Ascertain the course of action most likely to prevent the recurrence… — Standing up for yourself, nightmares a… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the course of action most likely to prevent the recurrence of a repeated nightmare. Exam question 4 of lesson 100 «Standing up for yourself, nightmares and the dark» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option;
---

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# Exam question 4 · Standing up for yourself, nightmares and the dark

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the course of action most likely to prevent the recurrence of a repeated nightmare.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, repeated nightmare · **What happens:** ascertain, prevent, repeat, recur · **To what, where:** course, recurrence

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 100 «Standing up for yourself, nightmares and the dark» of the everyday 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/everyday/100-standing-up-nightmares-and-the-dark/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:100-standing-up-nightmares-and-the-dark:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the course of action most likely to prevent the recurrence of a repeated nightmare.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	course	course	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	action	action	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	likely	likely	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	prevent	prevent	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	recurrence	recurrence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	repeated	repeat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	15	amod	_	_
15	nightmare	nightmare	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the course of action |  |  |  | likely *property* | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent course=Topic |
| 2 | **prevent** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | the recurrence of a repeated nightmare |  |  |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer recurrence=Theme |
| 3 | **repeat** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 4 | **recur** |  | a repeated nightmare |  |  |  |  |  | nom recurrence «event intransitive»: of=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Remaining awake throughout the night to avoid dreaming

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:100-standing-up-nightmares-and-the-dark:e4:o1:1
# text = Remaining awake throughout the night to avoid dreaming
1	Remaining	remain	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	awake	awake	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	xcomp	_	_
3	throughout	throughout	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	avoid	avoid	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	advcl	_	_
8	dreaming	dream	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remain** | gerund |  |  |  |  | night | awake *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **avoid** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn avoid-52 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **dream** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn cognize-85 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Viewing a frightening film immediately before retiring to bed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:100-standing-up-nightmares-and-the-dark:e4:o2:1
# text = Viewing a frightening film immediately before retiring to bed
1	Viewing	view	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	frightening	frightening	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	film	film	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	immediately	immediately	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
6	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	retiring	retire	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	_
8	to	to	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	bed	bed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **view** | gerund |  | a frightening film |  |  |  | immediately *property* | vn sight-30.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer film=Stimulus |
| 2 | **retire** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | to bed | vn resign-10.11-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Declining to mention the dream to any person at all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:100-standing-up-nightmares-and-the-dark:e4:o3:1
# text = Declining to mention the dream to any person at all
1	Declining	decline	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	to	to	PART	TO	_	3	mark	_	_
3	mention	mention	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	xcomp	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	dream	dream	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **decline** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn reject-77.2 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **mention** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  | the dream | any person | all |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent dream=Topic to person=Recipient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Drawing the dream and imagining a more agreeable ending

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:100-standing-up-nightmares-and-the-dark:e4:o4:1
# text = Drawing the dream and imagining a more agreeable ending
1	Drawing	draw	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	dream	dream	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	imagining	imagine	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	conj	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	8	advmod	_	_
8	agreeable	agreeable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **draw** | gerund |  | the dream |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent dream=Theme |
| 2 | **imagine** | gerund |  | a agreeable ending |  |  |  |  | vn wish-62 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot ending=Theme |

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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: [Standing up for yourself, nightmares a…, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/100-standing-up-nightmares-and-the-dark/e3/)
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