---
title: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the… — Silent letters: why French doesn't say… · tree and pragmatics
description: Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the treatment of final consonants in French? Exam question 1 of lesson 1 «Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes» of the French course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questio
---

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# Exam question 1 · Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the treatment of final consonants in French?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **What happens:** follow, characteris, treat · **To what, where:** treatment, final consonants

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 1 «Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes» of the French 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/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:e1:1
# text = Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the treatment of final consonants in French?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	following	follow	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	amod	_	_
5	statements	statement	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	accurately	accurately	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	characterises	characteris	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	treatment	treatment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	final	final	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	consonants	consonant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nmod	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	French	French	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **follow** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **characteris** | present |  | the treatment of final consonants in French |  |  |  | of the following statements; accurately *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **treat** |  |  | final consonants in French |  |  |  |  | nom treatment «act 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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Terminal consonants are pronounced solely in the names of persons and places

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:e1:o1:1
# text = Terminal consonants are pronounced solely in the names of persons and places
1	Terminal	terminal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	consonants	consonant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	pronounced	pronounce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	solely	solely	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	names	name	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	persons	person	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	places	place	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pronounce** | present · passive |  | Terminal consonants |  | the names of persons and places |  | solely *property* | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: subject=Theme in name=Manner |
| 2 | **name** |  |  | persons and places |  |  |  |  | nom name «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Every terminal consonant is to be pronounced with particular force and clarity

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:e1:o2:1
# text = Every terminal consonant is to be pronounced with particular force and clarity
1	Every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	3	det	_	_
2	terminal	terminal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	consonant	consonant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
6	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	pronounced	pronounce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	particular	particular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	force	force	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	clarity	clarity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pronounce** | present · passive |  | every terminal consonant |  |  |  | with particular force and clarity | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: subject=Theme with force=Manner |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Terminal consonants are omitted in writing as well as in speech

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:e1:o3:1
# text = Terminal consonants are omitted in writing as well as in speech
1	Terminal	terminal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	consonants	consonant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	omitted	omit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	writing	writing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
7	as	as	ADV	RB	ExtPos=ADV	4	advmod	_	_
8	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	7	fixed	_	_
9	as	as	ADP	IN	_	7	fixed	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	speech	speech	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **omit** | present · passive |  | Terminal consonants |  | writing |  | in speech | vn exclude-107.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The consonants s, t, d, x and z, when terminal, are customarily left unpronounced

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:e1:o4:1
# text = The consonants s, t, d, x and z, when terminal, are customarily left unpronounced
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	consonants	consonant	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod:poss	_	_
3	s	's	PART	POS	Typo=Yes	2	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	t	t	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nsubj:pass	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
7	d	D	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
9	x	x	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	z	z	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
13	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	14	mark	_	_
14	terminal	terminal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
16	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	aux:pass	_	_
17	customarily	customarily	ADV	RB	_	18	advmod	_	_
18	left	leave	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
19	unpronounced	unpronounced	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **leave** | present · passive |  | the consonants's t and d and x and z and terminal |  |  |  | customarily, unpronounced *property* | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: subject=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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