---
title: Which is the best explanation of the «check first» rule? — Strangers and tricky people · tree and pragmatics
description: Which is the best explanation of the «check first» rule? Test 2 · ★★ of lesson 58 «Strangers and tricky people» 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/58-strangers-and-tricky-people/t2/)

<!-- 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/) / [Strangers and tricky people](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/58-strangers-and-tricky-people/) / t2

# Test 2 · ★★ · Strangers and tricky people

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which is the best explanation of the «check first» rule?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **What happens:** be, check · **To what, where:** best explanation

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 · ★★ of lesson 58 «Strangers and tricky people» 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/58-strangers-and-tricky-people/#t2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:58-strangers-and-tricky-people:t2:1
# text = Which is the best explanation of the «check first» rule?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	5	amod	_	_
5	explanation	explanation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	check	check	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	compound	_	_
10	first	first	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	9	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
12	rule	rule	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present |  | the best explanation |  |  |  | of the check rule | tree rules |
| 2 | **check** *in a quote* | infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | first *property* | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 -->
You only need to check if it is getting dark outside

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:58-strangers-and-tricky-people:t2:o1:1
# text = You only need to check if it is getting dark outside
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	check	check	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	getting	get	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	advcl	_	_
10	dark	dark	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
11	outside	outside	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | You |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **check** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | You *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **get** *a condition, not said to happen* | present · progressive | it |  |  |  |  | dark, outside *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Children may never go anywhere at all on their own

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:58-strangers-and-tricky-people:t2:o2:1
# text = Children may never go anywhere at all on their own
1	Children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	may	may	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	anywhere	anywhere	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	4	advmod	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	obl	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **go** | may | Children |  |  | all |  | on Children's own; anywhere *property* | vn occur-48.3-2 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme at all=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
You only need to check with strangers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:58-strangers-and-tricky-people:t2:o3:1
# text = You only need to check with strangers
1	You	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	need	need	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	check	check	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	strangers	stranger	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need** | present | You |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **check** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | You *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with strangers | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Your parent should always know where you are and who you are with

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:58-strangers-and-tricky-people:t2:o4:1
# text = Your parent should always know where you are and who you are with
1	Your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	parent	parent	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	5	advmod	_	_
5	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	5	ccomp	_	_
7	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
8	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	6	conj	_	_
11	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
12	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
13	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | should | Your parent |  |  |  |  | always *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is** | present | you |  |  |  |  | where *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **is a** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- 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: [Strangers and tricky people, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/58-strangers-and-tricky-people/t1/)
- next →: [Strangers and tricky people, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/58-strangers-and-tricky-people/t3/)
- ↑ back to [Strangers and tricky people](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/58-strangers-and-tricky-people/)