---
title: Two boys in Ohio learn the piano. Max practises ten minutes every da… — Learning a skill, and coins and notes · tree and pragmatics
description: Two boys in Ohio learn the piano. Max practises ten minutes every day; Sam practises one hour every Saturday. Who probably improves faster? Test 1 · ★★ of lesson 260 «Learning a skill, and coins and notes» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of th
---

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# Test 1 · ★★ · Learning a skill, and coins and notes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Two boys in Ohio learn the piano. Max practises ten minutes every day; Sam practises one hour every Saturday. Who probably improves faster?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Two boys, Max, Sam · **What happens:** learn, practise, improve · **To what, where:** piano

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 · ★★ of lesson 260 «Learning a skill, and coins and notes» 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/260-learning-skills-and-coins/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Two boys in Ohio learn the piano.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:260-learning-skills-and-coins:t1:1
# text = Two boys in Ohio learn the piano.
1	Two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Ohio	Ohio	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	learn	learn	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	piano	piano	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **learn** | present | Two boys in Ohio | the piano |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent piano=Topic |

<!-- .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:* Max practises ten minutes every day; Sam practises one hour every Saturday.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:260-learning-skills-and-coins:t1:2
# text = Max practises ten minutes every day; Sam practises one hour every Saturday.
1	Max	Max	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	practises	practise	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	ten	ten	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
4	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	det	_	_
6	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
8	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	practises	practise	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	11	nummod	_	_
11	hour	hour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	13	det	_	_
13	Saturday	Saturday	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **practise** | present | Max |  |  |  | day; minute |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **practise** | present | Sam |  |  |  | hour; saturday |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Who probably improves faster?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:260-learning-skills-and-coins:t1:3
# text = Who probably improves faster?
1	Who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
2	probably	probably	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	improves	improve	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	faster	fast	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **improve** | present |  |  |  |  |  | fast, probably *property* | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sam, because Saturdays are less tiring

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:260-learning-skills-and-coins:t1:o1:1
# text = Sam, because Saturdays are less tiring
1	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	Saturdays	saturday	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	less	less	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	7	amod	_	_
7	tiring	tiring	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Saturdays | less tiring |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sam, because he practises longer at once

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:260-learning-skills-and-coins:t1:o2:1
# text = Sam, because he practises longer at once
1	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
5	practises	practise	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	longer	long	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	5	advmod	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **practise** | present | Sam |  |  |  |  | long *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Both the same, as the minutes over a week add up to the same

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:260-learning-skills-and-coins:t1:o3:1
# text = Both the same, as the minutes over a week add up to the same
1	Both	both	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc:preconj	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
5	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nsubj	_	_
8	over	over	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	week	week	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	add	add	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
12	up	up	ADP	RP	_	11	compound:prt	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **add up** *speech: assert* | present | the minutes over a week |  |  |  |  | to the same | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V ADVP-Middle PP»: agent=Patient to same=Co-Patient |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Max, because regular practice builds skill faster

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:260-learning-skills-and-coins:t1:o4:1
# text = Max, because regular practice builds skill faster
1	Max	Max	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	regular	regular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	practice	practice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	builds	build	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	skill	skill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	faster	fast	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **build** | present | Max | skill |  |  |  | fast *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent skill=Product |

<!-- 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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- ← previous: [The library and books, exam 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/259-library-and-books/e4/)
- next →: [Learning a skill, and coins and notes, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/260-learning-skills-and-coins/t2/)
- ↑ back to [Learning a skill, and coins and notes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/260-learning-skills-and-coins/)