---
title: Identify the distinction between telling and tattling. — Bullying and how to stop it · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the distinction between telling and tattling. Exam question 2 of lesson 55 «Bullying and how to stop it» 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.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/55-bullying/e2/)

<!-- 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/) / [Bullying and how to stop it](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/55-bullying/) / e2

# Exam question 2 · Bullying and how to stop it

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the distinction between telling and tattling.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, distinction · **What happens:** identify, tell, tattle · **To what, where:** distinction · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 55 «Bullying and how to stop 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/55-bullying/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:55-bullying:e2:1
# text = Identify the distinction between telling and tattling.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	distinction	distinction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	between	between	ADP	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	telling	tell	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	acl	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
7	tattling	tattle	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	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 distinction |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent distinction=Theme |
| 2 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund | the distinction *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **tattle** | gerund | the distinction *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 -->
Telling and tattling are identical

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:55-bullying:e2:o1:1
# text = Telling and tattling are identical
1	Telling	tell	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	csubj	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	tattling	tattling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
4	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	identical	identical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | Telling |  |  |  |  | identical *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Telling is done only by teachers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:55-bullying:e2:o2:1
# text = Telling is done only by teachers
1	Telling	tell	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	csubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	done	do	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	teachers	teacher	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **do** | present · passive | Telling |  |  |  |  | by teachers | vn act-114-1 «NP V» |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Tattling is done only to protect others, whereas telling is done in order to punish them severely

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:55-bullying:e2:o3:1
# text = Tattling is done only to protect others, whereas telling is done in order to punish them severely
1	Tattling	tattling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	done	do	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	protect	protect	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
7	others	other	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	whereas	whereas	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
10	telling	tell	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	12	csubj:pass	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux:pass	_	_
12	done	do	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	parataxis	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	order	order	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
15	to	to	PART	TO	_	16	mark	_	_
16	punish	punish	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	advcl	_	_
17	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	obj	_	_
18	severely	severely	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | present · passive |  | Tattling |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Eventuality |
| 2 | **protect** | to-infinitive |  | others |  |  |  |  | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent other=Beneficiary |
| 3 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **do** | present · passive | telling |  |  | order |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V» |
| 5 | **punish** | to-infinitive | telling *not said here* | others *= other* |  |  |  | severely *property* | vn prosecute-33.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Telling seeks to keep a person safe, whereas tattling seeks only to get a person into trouble

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:55-bullying:e2:o4:1
# text = Telling seeks to keep a person safe, whereas tattling seeks only to get a person into trouble
1	Telling	tell	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	nsubj	_	_
2	seeks	seek	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
4	keep	keep	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	safe	safe	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
9	whereas	whereas	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
10	tattling	tattling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	seeks	seek	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
12	only	only	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	xcomp	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	_
17	into	into	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
18	trouble	trouble	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **seek** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **keep** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  | a person |  |  |  | safe *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent person=Theme |
| 4 | **seek** | present | tattling |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **get** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | tattling *not said here* | a person |  | trouble |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer person=Stimulus |

<!-- 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: [Bullying and how to stop it, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/55-bullying/e1/)
- next →: [Bullying and how to stop it, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/55-bullying/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Bullying and how to stop it](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/55-bullying/)