---
title: In a TV detective show, the liar always sweats and stammers. In real… — Stories that change · tree and pragmatics
description: In a TV detective show, the liar always sweats and stammers. In real life what's a better clue? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 449 «Stories that change» 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 9 · ★ · Stories that change

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a TV detective show, the liar always sweats and stammers. In real life what's a better clue?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** liar · **What happens:** sweat, stammer, be · **To what, where:** detective show, better clue, real life

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 449 «Stories that change» 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/449-stories-that-change/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a TV detective show, the liar always sweats and stammers.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:449-stories-that-change:t9:1
# text = In a TV detective show, the liar always sweats and stammers.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
3	TV	TV	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	detective	detective	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	show	show	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	liar	liar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	10	advmod	_	_
10	sweats	sweat	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	stammers	stammer	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sweat** | present | the liar |  |  | a detective show |  | always *property* | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **stammer** *speech: other* | present | the liar *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* In real life what's a better clue?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:449-stories-that-change:t9:2
# text = In real life what's a better clue?
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
4	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	amod	_	_
8	clue	clue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
People who sweat are lying

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:449-stories-that-change:t9:o1:1
# text = People who sweat are lying
1	People	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	sweat	sweat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	lying	lie	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sweat** | present | People |  |  |  |  |  | vn breathe-40.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **lie** | present · progressive | People |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Stammering or going red always means someone is lying

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:449-stories-that-change:t9:o2:1
# text = Stammering or going red always means someone is lying
1	Stammering	stammer	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	csubj	_	_
2	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	going	go	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	1	conj	_	_
4	red	red	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
5	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	6	advmod	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	9	nsubj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	lying	lie	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stammer** *speech: other* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **go** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | red *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **mean** | present | Stammering |  |  |  |  | always *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 4 | **lie** | present · progressive | someone |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Liars always look at the floor

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:449-stories-that-change:t9:o3:1
# text = Liars always look at the floor
1	Liars	liar	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	3	advmod	_	_
3	look	look	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	floor	floor	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look** | present | Liars |  |  |  |  | at the floor; always *property* | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at floor=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Details that change or don't fit the facts

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:449-stories-that-change:t9:o4:1
# text = Details that change or don't fit the facts
1	Details	detail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	change	change	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
5	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	fit	fit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	facts	fact	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | present | Details |  |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **fit** | present · do-support | Details *not said here* | the facts |  |  |  |  | vn adjust-26.9 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fact=Patient |

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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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