--- title: why's a harmful lie worse than a white lie — Lies that do real harm · tree and pragmatics description: why's a harmful lie worse than a white lie Test 15 · ★ of lesson 197 «Lies that do real harm» 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 right. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/197-harmful-lies/t15/) [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/) / [Lies that do real harm](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/197-harmful-lies/) / t15 # Test 15 · ★ · Lies that do real harm why's a harmful lie worse than a white lie **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **What happens:** be This is test 15 · ★ of lesson 197 «Lies that do real harm» 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/197-harmful-lies/#t15). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:197-harmful-lies:t15:1 # text = why's a harmful lie worse than a white lie 1 why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 6 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 2 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 6 cop _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 harmful harmful ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 lie lie NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obl:unmarked _ _ 6 worse bad ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 0 root _ _ 7 than than ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 8 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 9 white white ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 10 amod _ _ 10 lie lie NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | | | | | | than a white lie; a harmful lie *obl:unmarked*; bad *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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1} It hurts or gets someone in trouble ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:197-harmful-lies:t15:o1:1 # text = It hurts or gets someone in trouble 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 hurts hurt VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 or or CCONJ CC _ 4 cc _ _ 4 gets get VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 2 conj _ _ 5 someone someone PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Ind 4 obj _ _ 6 in in ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 7 trouble trouble NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **hurt** | present | It | | | | | | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP-PRO-ARB»: agent=Stimulus | | 2 | **get** | present | | someone | | trouble | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer someone=Stimulus | ### Option 2 {#o2} Harmful lies are just jokes ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:197-harmful-lies:t15:o2:1 # text = Harmful lies are just jokes 1 Harmful harmful ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 amod _ _ 2 lies lie NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 nsubj _ _ 3 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 4 just just ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 5 jokes joke NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | Harmful lies | jokes | | | | | tree rules | ### Option 3 {#o3} White lies are always worse ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:197-harmful-lies:t15:o3:1 # text = White lies are always worse 1 White white ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 amod _ _ 2 lies lie NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 nsubj _ _ 3 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 4 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 5 advmod _ _ 5 worse bad ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | White lies | | | | | always, bad *property* | tree rules | ### Option 4 {#o4} It's not worse, both are fine ```conllu # sent_id = question:everyday:197-harmful-lies:t15:o4:1 # text = It's not worse, both are fine 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 2 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 3 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 4 advmod _ _ 4 worse bad ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 8 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 5 , , PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ _ 6 both both DET DT PronType=Tot 4 obl _ _ 7 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 8 cop _ _ 8 fine fine ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **not** **is** | present | It | | | | | both *obl*; bad *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **is** | present | | | | | | fine *property* | tree rules | **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: [Lies that do real harm, test 14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/197-harmful-lies/t14/) - next →: [Lies that do real harm, test 16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/197-harmful-lies/t16/) - ↑ back to [Lies that do real harm](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/197-harmful-lies/)