---
title: A boy in Leeds keeps a secret for a friend who has been taking other… — Why people lie, and what is not a lie · tree and pragmatics
description: A boy in Leeds keeps a secret for a friend who has been taking other children's snacks. Why is lying for him a problem? Test 4 · ★ of lesson 195 «Why people lie, and what is not a lie» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of eac
---

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# Test 4 · ★ · Why people lie, and what is not a lie

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A boy in Leeds keeps a secret for a friend who has been taking other children's snacks. Why is lying for him a problem?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** boy, friend · **What happens:** keep, take, lie · **To what, where:** secret, snacks, problem

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★ of lesson 195 «Why people lie, and what is not a lie» of the everyday 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/everyday/195-why-people-lie/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A boy in Leeds keeps a secret for a friend who has been taking other children's snacks.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:195-why-people-lie:t4:1
# text = A boy in Leeds keeps a secret for a friend who has been taking other children's snacks.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Leeds	Leeds	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	keeps	keep	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	secret	secret	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
11	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	14	nsubj	_	_
12	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
13	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	14	aux	_	_
14	taking	take	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	acl:relcl	_	_
15	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
16	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	's	's	PART	POS	_	16	case	_	_
18	snacks	snack	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | present | a boy in Leeds | a secret |  |  |  | for a friend | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent secret=Theme |
| 2 | **take** | present · perfect · progressive | a friend | other children's snacks |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent snack=Theme |

<!-- .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:* Why is lying for him a problem?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:195-why-people-lie:t4:2
# text = Why is lying for him a problem?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	3	advmod	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	lying	lie	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	problem	problem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lie** | present · progressive |  | a problem |  |  |  | for friend | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location problem=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The other children will never find out anyway

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:195-why-people-lie:t4:o1:1
# text = The other children will never find out anyway
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	out	out	ADP	RP	_	6	compound:prt	_	_
8	anyway	anyway	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **find out** | future | the other children |  |  |  |  | anyway *property* | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is fine because friends must always stick together

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:195-why-people-lie:t4:o2:1
# text = It is fine because friends must always stick together
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	expl	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
5	friends	friend	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
6	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	8	advmod	_	_
8	stick	stick	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	csubj	_	_
9	together	together	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **stick together** | must | friends |  |  |  |  | always, together *property* | vn shake-22.3-2 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Covering up lets the harm go on and drags you in

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:195-why-people-lie:t4:o3:1
# text = Covering up lets the harm go on and drags you in
1	Covering	cover	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	csubj	_	_
2	up	up	ADP	RP	_	1	compound:prt	_	_
3	lets	let	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	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
7	on	on	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	drags	drag	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
10	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cover up** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **let** | present | Covering | the harm |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **go on** | infinitive | the harm *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn function-105.2.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **drag in** | present | Covering *not said here* | you |  |  |  |  | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent you=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It only matters if the snacks were expensive

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:195-why-people-lie:t4:o4:1
# text = It only matters if the snacks were expensive
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	matters	matter	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	snacks	snack	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	expensive	expensive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **matter** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **is** *a condition, not said to happen* | past | the snacks |  |  |  |  | expensive *property* | 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.

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