---
title: Ascertain the significance of a stranger saying «your mum sent me». — Teachers, visitors and the playground · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the significance of a stranger saying «your mum sent me». Exam question 4 of lesson 257 «Teachers, visitors and the playground» 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.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Teachers, visitors and the playground

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the significance of a stranger saying «your mum sent me».

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, stranger, mum · **What happens:** ascertain, say, send · **To what, where:** significance, stranger · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 257 «Teachers, visitors and the playground» 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/257-school-adults-and-the-playground/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:257-school-adults-and-the-playground:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the significance of a stranger saying «your mum sent me».
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	significance	significance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	stranger	stranger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	saying	say	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	acl	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	sent	send	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	ccomp	_	_
12	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	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 significance of a stranger |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent significance=Topic |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | gerund | a stranger *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **send** *in a quote* | past | your mum | a stranger *= stranger* |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent i=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is a usual message from parents

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:257-school-adults-and-the-playground:e4:o1:1
# text = It is a usual message from parents
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	usual	usual	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	message	message	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	parents	parent	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a usual message |  |  |  | from parents | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It proves that the stranger is safe

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:257-school-adults-and-the-playground:e4:o2:1
# text = It proves that the stranger is safe
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	proves	prove	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	stranger	stranger	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	safe	safe	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prove** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | the stranger |  |  |  |  | safe *property* | tree rules |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is a warning sign; children go only to named persons

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:257-school-adults-and-the-playground:e4:o3:1
# text = It is a warning sign; children go only to named persons
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	warning	warning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
7	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	go	go	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
9	only	only	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	to	to	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	named	name	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	12	amod	_	_
12	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a warning sign |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **go** | present | children |  |  |  |  | to named persons | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to person=Initial\_Location |
| 3 | **name** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appoint-29.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It means the child must go at once, without question

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:257-school-adults-and-the-playground:e4:o4:1
# text = It means the child must go at once, without question
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
5	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
10	without	without	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	question	question	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **go** | must | the child |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-2 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme at once=Location |

<!-- div src -->

**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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