---
title: Why should you approach a sleeping dog by calling its name rather th… — Thinking like an animal · tree and pragmatics
description: Why should you approach a sleeping dog by calling its name rather than touching it? Test 4 · ★★★ of lesson 30 «Thinking like an animal» 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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# Test 4 · ★★★ · Thinking like an animal

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Why should you approach a sleeping dog by calling its name rather than touching it?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, dog · **What happens:** approach, call, touch, name · **To what, where:** sleeping dog, name · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★★★ of lesson 30 «Thinking like an animal» 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/30-thinking-like-an-animal/#t4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:30-thinking-like-an-animal:t4:1
# text = Why should you approach a sleeping dog by calling its name rather than touching it?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	approach	approach	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	sleeping	sleeping	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	by	by	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	calling	call	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
10	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
12	rather	rather	ADV	RB	ExtPos=CCONJ	14	cc	_	_
13	than	than	ADP	IN	_	12	fixed	_	_
14	touching	touch	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	9	conj	_	_
15	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **approach** | should | you | a sleeping dog |  |  |  |  | vn confront-98 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent dog=Theme |
| 2 | **call** | gerund | you *not said here* | dog's name |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent name=Recipient |
| 3 | **touch** | gerund | you *not said here* | name |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme it=Co-Theme |
| 4 | **name** |  | dog |  |  |  |  |  | nom name «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sleeping dogs are always angry

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:30-thinking-like-an-animal:t4:o1:1
# text = Sleeping dogs are always angry
1	Sleeping	sleep	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	amod	_	_
2	dogs	dog	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	angry	angry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sleep** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | Sleeping dogs |  |  |  |  | always, angry *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dogs never wake up when touched

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:30-thinking-like-an-animal:t4:o2:1
# text = Dogs never wake up when touched
1	Dogs	dog	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
3	wake	wake	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	up	up	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	6	advmod	_	_
6	touched	touch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **wake up** | present | Dogs |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **touch** | participle | Dogs *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Waking with a fright can make it snap before it knows who you are

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:30-thinking-like-an-animal:t4:o3:1
# text = Waking with a fright can make it snap before it knows who you are
1	Waking	wake	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	csubj	_	_
2	with	with	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	fright	fright	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
5	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	snap	snap	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	xcomp	_	_
9	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	knows	know	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	advcl	_	_
12	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	11	ccomp	_	_
13	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
14	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wake** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | with a fright | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent with fright=Instrument |
| 2 | **make** | can | Waking | fright |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **snap** | infinitive | fright *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **know** | present | fright |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 5 | **is a** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It will remember the touch for the rest of its life and never trust you

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:30-thinking-like-an-animal:t4:o4:1
# text = It will remember the touch for the rest of its life and never trust you
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	remember	remember	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	touch	touch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	rest	rest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
13	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	14	advmod	_	_
14	trust	trust	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
15	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **remember** | future | It | the touch |  |  |  | for the rest of rest's life | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent touch=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **trust** | infinitive |  | you |  |  |  |  | vn conjecture-29.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent you=Theme |

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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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- ← previous: [Thinking like an animal, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/t3/)
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