---
title: Grandad's sheepdog starts circling and nipping your little cousin wh… — The cat that only likes Dad, and other… · tree and pragmatics
description: Grandad's sheepdog starts circling and nipping your little cousin who's running about. Best move? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 457 «The cat that only likes Dad, and other choosy pets» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option;
---

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# Test 9 · ★ · The cat that only likes Dad, and other choosy pets

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandad's sheepdog starts circling and nipping your little cousin who's running about. Best move?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** sheepdog, little cousin · **What happens:** start, circle, nip, run about · **To what, where:** little cousin

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 457 «The cat that only likes Dad, and other choosy pets» 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/457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Grandad's sheepdog starts circling and nipping your little cousin who's running about.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets:t9:1
# text = Grandad's sheepdog starts circling and nipping your little cousin who's running about.
1	Grandad	Grandad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	sheepdog	sheepdog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	starts	start	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	circling	circle	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	xcomp	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	nipping	nip	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	conj	_	_
8	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
9	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	cousin	cousin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
11	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	_
13	running	run	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	10	acl:relcl	_	_
14	about	about	ADV	RB	_	13	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **start** | present | Grandad's sheepdog |  |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality |
| 2 | **circle** | gerund | Grandad's sheepdog *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **nip** | gerund | Grandad's sheepdog *not said here* | your little cousin |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Initial\_Location cousin=Theme |
| 4 | **run about** | present · progressive | your little cousin |  |  |  |  | about *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .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:* Best move?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets:t9:2
# text = Best move?
1	Best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	2	amod	_	_
2	move	move	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Let them carry on, it's a game

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets:t9:o1:1
# text = Let them carry on, it's a game
1	Let	let	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	carry	carry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	xcomp	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	game	game	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **let** | imperative | you *not said here* | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **carry on** | infinitive | them *= they* *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn sustain-55.6 «NP V NP PP.instrument»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is a** | present | it | a game |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Shout at the dog and hit it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets:t9:o2:1
# text = Shout at the dog and hit it
1	Shout	shout	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	hit	hit	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shout** *speech: express* | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | at the dog | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **hit** | infinitive | you *not said here* | dog |  |  |  |  | vn contiguous\_location-47.8-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme it=Co-Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tell your cousin to run faster

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets:t9:o3:1
# text = Tell your cousin to run faster
1	Tell	tell	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
3	cousin	cousin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	run	run	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	xcomp	_	_
6	faster	fast	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* | your cousin |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent cousin=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **run** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | your cousin *not said here* |  |  |  |  | fast *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Get Grandad to call the dog off

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:457-the-cat-that-only-likes-dad-and-other-choosy-pets:t9:o4:1
# text = Get Grandad to call the dog off
1	Get	get	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	Grandad	Grandad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	call	call	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	xcomp	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	off	off	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | imperative | you *not said here* | Grandad |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **call off** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | Grandad *not said here* |  | the dog |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent dog=Recipient |

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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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