---
title: Identify the principal meaning of the parental statement «we cannot… — The electric meter, the food bank and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal meaning of the parental statement «we cannot afford it». Exam question 3 of lesson 488 «The electric meter, the food bank and «we can't afford it»» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova
---

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# Exam question 3 · The electric meter, the food bank and «we can't afford it»

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal meaning of the parental statement «we cannot afford it».

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, we · **What happens:** identify, not afford, mean · **To what, where:** principal meaning, meaning, parental statement · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 of lesson 488 «The electric meter, the food bank and «we can't afford it»» 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/488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it:e3:1
# text = Identify the principal meaning of the parental statement «we cannot afford it».
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	parental	parental	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	statement	statement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
9	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
11	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	13	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	afford	afford	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	parataxis	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal meaning of the parental statement |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP to be ADJ»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme clause=Attribute |
| 2 | **not** **afford** *in a quote* | can | we | meaning |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **mean** |  |  | the parental statement |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The parent's affection for the child has diminished

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it:e3:o1:1
# text = The parent's affection for the child has diminished
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	affection	affection	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
8	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	diminished	diminish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **diminish** | present · perfect · passive |  | the parent's affection for the child |  |  |  |  | vn caused\_calibratable\_cos-45.6.2-1 «NP V NP.patient»: subject=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The item is prohibited by law for persons of that age

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it:e3:o2:1
# text = The item is prohibited by law for persons of that age
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	item	item	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	prohibited	prohibit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	law	law	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	that	that	DET	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	11	det	_	_
11	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prohibit** | present · passive | law | the item |  |  |  | for persons of that age | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer subject=Theme |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Insufficient money remains after rent, food and bills

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it:e3:o3:1
# text = Insufficient money remains after rent, food and bills
1	Insufficient	insufficient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
2	money	money	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	remains	remains	NOUN	NNS	Number=Ptan	0	root	_	_
4	after	after	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	rent	rent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	bills	bill	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The child is being punished for prior misconduct

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it:e3:o4:1
# text = The child is being punished for prior misconduct
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
4	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	punished	punish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	prior	prior	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	misconduct	misconduct	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **punish** | present · passive |  | the child |  |  |  | for prior misconduct | vn prosecute-33.2-1 «NP V NP PP.theme»: subject=Patient for misconduct=Theme |

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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.

<!-- /div -->

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