---
title: Ascertain the correct position where an apology, sincerely offered,… — Saying sorry, and the sorry that is no… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the correct position where an apology, sincerely offered, is declined by the injured party. Exam question 4 of lesson 477 «Saying sorry, and the sorry that is not accepted» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each 
---

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# Exam question 4 · Saying sorry, and the sorry that is not accepted

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the correct position where an apology, sincerely offered, is declined by the injured party.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, injured party · **What happens:** ascertain, offer, decline · **To what, where:** correct position, apology

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 477 «Saying sorry, and the sorry that is not accepted» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. 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/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the correct position where an apology, sincerely offered, is declined by the injured party.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	position	position	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	13	advmod	_	_
6	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	apology	apology	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	sincerely	sincerely	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	offered	offer	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	declined	decline	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl:relcl	_	_
14	by	by	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	injured	injured	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	party	party	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the correct position |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent position=Topic |
| 2 | **offer** | participle |  | a apology *not said here* |  |  |  | sincerely *property* | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.theme (PP)»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **decline** | present · passive | the injured party | a apology |  |  |  |  | vn reject-77.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The injured party is obliged to accept it forthwith

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted:e4:o1:1
# text = The injured party is obliged to accept it forthwith
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	injured	injured	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	party	party	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	obliged	oblige	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	accept	accept	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	forthwith	forthwith	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **oblige** | present · passive |  | the injured party |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: subject=Patient clause=Result |
| 2 | **accept** | to-infinitive |  | party |  |  |  | forthwith *property* | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The apologising party is thereby released from all regard for the other

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted:e4:o2:1
# text = The apologising party is thereby released from all regard for the other
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	apologising	apologise	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	amod	_	_
3	party	party	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
5	thereby	thereby	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	released	release	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	regard	regard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	for	for	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **apologise** *speech: apologize* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **release** | present · passive |  | the apologising party |  | all regard |  | for the other; thereby *property* | vn free-10.6.3-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: subject=Source |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The apology must be repeated until accepted

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted:e4:o3:1
# text = The apology must be repeated until accepted
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	apology	apology	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	repeated	repeat	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
7	accepted	accept	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repeat** | must · passive |  | the apology |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Eventuality |
| 2 | **accept** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Acceptance rests with the injured party and cannot be compelled

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted:e4:o4:1
# text = Acceptance rests with the injured party and cannot be compelled
1	Acceptance	acceptance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	rests	rest	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	injured	injured	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	party	party	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
8	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	compelled	compel	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rest** | present | Acceptance |  |  |  |  | with the injured party | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **compel** | can · passive | Acceptance *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1-1 «NP V NP» |

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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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