--- title: Why can a false «it's perfect» be unkind? — White lies and kind silence · tree and pragmatics description: Why can a false «it's perfect» be unkind? Test 7 · ★ of lesson 196 «White lies and kind silence» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/t7/) [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/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/) / [White lies and kind silence](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/) / t7 # Test 7 · ★ · White lies and kind silence Why can a false «it's perfect» be unkind? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** it · **What happens:** be · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is test 7 · ★ of lesson 196 «White lies and kind silence» 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/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/#t7). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:t7:1 # text = Why can a false «it's perfect» be unkind? 1 Why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 11 advmod _ _ 2 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 11 aux _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 4 false false ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 amod _ _ 5 « « PUNCT `` _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 8 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 7 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 8 cop _ _ 8 perfect perfect ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 9 » » PUNCT '' _ 8 punct _ _ 10 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 11 cop _ _ 11 unkind unkind ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 12 ? ? PUNCT . _ 11 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** *in a quote* | present | it | | | | | perfect *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **is** | can | | | | | | unkind *property* | tree rules | 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 {#o1} Because nobody really likes to hear good things about their work ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:t7:o1:1 # text = Because nobody really likes to hear good things about their work 1 Because because SCONJ IN _ 4 mark _ _ 2 nobody nobody PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 4 nsubj _ _ 3 really really ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 4 likes like VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 to to PART TO _ 6 mark _ _ 6 hear hear VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 xcomp _ _ 7 good good ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 8 amod _ _ 8 things thing NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 obj _ _ 9 about about ADP IN _ 11 case _ _ 10 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 11 nmod:poss _ _ 11 work work NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **like** | present | nobody | | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme | | 2 | **hear** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | nobody *not said here* | good things | | | | about things's work | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer thing=Stimulus | | 3 | **work** | | things *= thing* | | | | | | nom work «act intransitive»: poss=agent | ### Option 2 {#o2} Because it is always rude to be nice ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:t7:o2:1 # text = Because it is always rude to be nice 1 Because because SCONJ IN _ 5 mark _ _ 2 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 5 nsubj _ _ 3 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 4 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 5 advmod _ _ 5 rude rude ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 8 mark _ _ 7 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 8 cop _ _ 8 nice nice ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 advcl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | it | | | | | always, rude *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **is** | to-infinitive | | | | | | nice *property* | tree rules | ### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3} The person may act on it and be embarrassed later ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:t7:o3:1 # text = The person may act on it and be embarrassed later 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 person person NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 may may AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 4 act act VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 5 on on ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 obl _ _ 7 and and CCONJ CC _ 9 cc _ _ 8 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 9 aux:pass _ _ 9 embarrassed embarrass VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 4 conj _ _ 10 later late ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 4 advmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **act** | may | the person | | | it | | late *property* | vn act-114-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent on it=Eventuality | | 2 | **embarrass** | infinitive · passive | the person *not said here* | | | | | | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle» | ### Option 4 {#o4} Because praise always makes people lazy ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:196-white-lies-and-kind-silence:t7:o4:1 # text = Because praise always makes people lazy 1 Because because SCONJ IN _ 4 mark _ _ 2 praise praise NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 4 advmod _ _ 4 makes make VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 obj _ _ 6 lazy lazy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 xcomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **make** | present | praise | people | | | | always, lazy *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset people=Product | **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: [White lies and kind silence, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/t6/) - next →: [White lies and kind silence, test 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/t8/) - ↑ back to [White lies and kind silence](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/)