---
title: Teacher's sign on the wall: «If you're in a hole, stop digging.» Wha… — Lies that grow: one lie needs three more · tree and pragmatics
description: Teacher's sign on the wall: «If you're in a hole, stop digging.» What does it mean for lies? Test 10 · ★ of lesson 430 «Lies that grow: one lie needs three more» 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
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more/t10/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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 grow: one lie needs three more](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more/) / t10

# Test 10 · ★ · Lies that grow: one lie needs three more

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Teacher's sign on the wall: «If you're in a hole, stop digging.» What does it mean for lies?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, sign, Teacher · **What happens:** be, stop, dig, sign, mean · **To what, where:** hole, wall

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 10 · ★ of lesson 430 «Lies that grow: one lie needs three more» 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/430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more/#t10).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Teacher's sign on the wall: «If you're in a hole, stop digging.»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more:t10:1
# text = Teacher's sign on the wall: «If you're in a hole, stop digging.»
1	Teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	nsubj	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	wall	wall	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	16	punct	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	If	if	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
10	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
12	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	hole	hole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
16	stop	stop	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
17	digging	dig	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	16	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | present | you |  |  | a hole |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **stop** *in a quote* | infinitive | Teacher's sign on the wall |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Affector clause=Eventuality |
| 3 | **dig** *in a quote* | gerund | Teacher's sign on the wall *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **sign** |  | Teacher |  |  | the wall |  |  | nom sign «communication transitive»: poss=agent on=place |

<!-- .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:* What does it mean for lies?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more:t10:2
# text = What does it mean for lies?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	lies	lie	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present · do-support | sign |  |  |  |  | for lies | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot what=Theme for lie=Attribute |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Keep going until you're out of the hole

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more:t10:o1:1
# text = Keep going until you're out of the hole
1	Keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	going	go	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	xcomp	_	_
3	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	out	out	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	hole	hole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **go** | gerund | you *not said here* |  |  | the hole |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme out hole=Initial\_Location |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Stop adding lies and tell the truth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more:t10:o2:1
# text = Stop adding lies and tell the truth
1	Stop	stop	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	adding	add	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	amod	_	_
3	lies	lie	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obj	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	tell	tell	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stop** | imperative | you *not said here* | adding lies |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Subeventuality lie=Eventuality |
| 2 | **add** *speech: assert* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V ADVP-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 3 | **tell** *speech: assert* | infinitive | you *not said here* | the truth |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent truth=Recipient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Holes are dangerous at school

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more:t10:o3:1
# text = Holes are dangerous at school
1	Holes	hole	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	dangerous	dangerous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Holes |  |  | school |  | dangerous *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Never play in the sandpit

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more:t10:o4:1
# text = Never play in the sandpit
1	Never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	2	advmod	_	_
2	play	play	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	sandpit	sandpit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **play** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  | the sandpit |  |  | vn performance-26.7-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Lies that grow: one lie needs three more, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more/t9/)
- next →: [Lies that grow: one lie needs three more, test 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more/t11/)
- ↑ back to [Lies that grow: one lie needs three more](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more/)