---
title: «my mate says Sam's been dissing my mum, I'm gonna batter him». (dis… — The secret that got told · tree and pragmatics
description: «my mate says Sam's been dissing my mum, I'm gonna batter him». (dissing means saying rude things.) Best move? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 476 «The secret that got told» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choi
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/476-the-secret-that-got-told/t5/)

<!-- 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/) / [The secret that got told](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/476-the-secret-that-got-told/) / t5

# Test 5 · ★★ · The secret that got told

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«my mate says Sam's been dissing my mum, I'm gonna batter him». (dissing means saying rude things.) Best move?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** mate, Sam · **What happens:** say, dis, batter, mean · **To what, where:** mum, Sam, rude things · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 476 «The secret that got told» 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/476-the-secret-that-got-told/#t5).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* «my mate says Sam's been dissing my mum, I'm gonna batter him».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:476-the-secret-that-got-told:t5:1
# text = «my mate says Sam's been dissing my mum, I'm gonna batter him».
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	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux	_	_
7	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	8	aux	_	_
8	dissing	dis	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	ccomp	_	_
9	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	mum	mum	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	'm	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
14	gonna	gonna	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	15	dep	_	_
15	batter	batter	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	parataxis	_	_
16	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	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 mate |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **dis** *in a quote* | present · progressive | Sam | my mum |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **batter** *in a quote* | present | my mate *= mate* | Sam |  |  |  |  | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent he=Instrument |

<!-- .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:* (dissing means saying rude things.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:476-the-secret-that-got-told:t5:2
# text = (dissing means saying rude things.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	dissing	dis	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	nsubj	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	saying	say	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	xcomp	_	_
5	rude	rude	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **dis** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **say** *speech: assert* *not said to happen* | gerund |  | rude things |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent thing=Topic |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Best move?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:476-the-secret-that-got-told:t5:3
# 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Batter him straight away

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:476-the-secret-that-got-told:t5:o1:1
# text = Batter him straight away
1	Batter	batter	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	straight	straight	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	away	away	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **batter** | imperative | you *not said here* | him *= he* |  |  |  | away *property* | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent he=Instrument |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tell everyone Sam's a liar

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:476-the-secret-that-got-told:t5:o2:1
# text = Tell everyone Sam's a liar
1	Tell	tell	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	1	iobj	_	_
3	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	liar	liar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* |  | everyone |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent everyone=Recipient |
| 2 | **is a** | present | Sam | a liar |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spread a rumour back about him

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:476-the-secret-that-got-told:t5:o3:1
# text = Spread a rumour back about him
1	Spread	spread	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	rumour	rumour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	back	back	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
5	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spread back** | imperative | you *not said here* | a rumour |  |  |  | about him *= he* | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent rumour=Theme about he=Destination |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ask Sam directly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:476-the-secret-that-got-told:t5:o4:1
# text = Ask Sam directly
1	Ask	ask	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	Sam	Sam	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
3	directly	directly	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | imperative | you *not said here* |  | Sam |  |  | directly *property* | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent sam=Recipient |

<!-- 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: [The secret that got told, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/476-the-secret-that-got-told/t4/)
- next →: [The secret that got told, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/476-the-secret-that-got-told/t6/)
- ↑ back to [The secret that got told](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/476-the-secret-that-got-told/)