---
title: «my nan says boys will be boys, so fighting's fine». Is it? — Adults who help and adults who don't · tree and pragmatics
description: «my nan says boys will be boys, so fighting's fine». Is it? Test 2 of lesson 392 «Adults who help and adults who don't» 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.
---

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# Test 2 · Adults who help and adults who don't

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«my nan says boys will be boys, so fighting's fine». Is it?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** nan, fighting · **What happens:** say, be · **To what, where:** boys · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 of lesson 392 «Adults who help and adults who don't» 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/392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* «my nan says boys will be boys, so fighting's fine».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:t2:1
# text = «my nan says boys will be boys, so fighting's fine».
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	nan	nan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
6	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	cop	_	_
8	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
10	so	so	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	_
11	fighting	fighting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
13	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | present | my nan | boys |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent boy=Topic |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | future |  | boys |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | fighting |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .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:* Is it?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:t2:2
# text = Is it?
1	Is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **be** | present | fighting |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, it's an excuse; boys can learn not to fight

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:t2:o1:1
# text = No, it's an excuse; boys can learn not to fight
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	excuse	excuse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
9	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	learn	learn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	parataxis	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
12	to	to	PART	TO	_	13	mark	_	_
13	fight	fight	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | it | a excuse |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **learn** | can | boys |  |  |  |  |  | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **not** **fight** | to-infinitive | boys *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn battle-36.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only on the street, not at school

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:t2:o2:1
# text = Only on the street, not at school
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
2	on	on	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	street	street	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, nans know best, they've seen it all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:t2:o3:1
# text = Yes, nans know best, they've seen it all
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	nans	nan	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	know	know	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	parataxis	_	_
5	best	well	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
7	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	've	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	seen	see	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	10	det	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | present | nans |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **see** | present · perfect | nans *= nan* | it |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, but only for boys

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:392-adults-who-help-and-adults-who-dont:t2:o4:1
# text = Yes, but only for boys
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	boys	boy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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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