--- title: Noah's sister laughs, "Mum, he's doing a dragon voice!" when he says… — Silent letters: why French doesn't say… · tree and pragmatics description: Noah's sister laughs, "Mum, he's doing a dragon voice!" when he says "HO-tel". What would a French person say? Test 5 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 question and o --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/t5/) [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/) / [French](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/) / [Silent letters: why French doesn't say…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/) / t5 # Test 5 · Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes Noah's sister laughs, "Mum, he's doing a dragon voice!" when he says "HO-tel". What would a French person say? **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** sister, Noah, French person · **What happens:** laugh, do, say · **To what, where:** Mum, dragon voice, HO tel · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is test 5 of lesson 1 «Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes» of the French 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/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/#t5). ## The question {#question} *Sentence 1:* Noah's sister laughs, "Mum, he's doing a dragon voice!" when he says "HO-tel". ```conllu # sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t5:1 # text = Noah's sister laughs, "Mum, he's doing a dragon voice!" when he says "HO-tel". 1 Noah Noah PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 2 's 's PART POS _ 1 case _ _ 3 sister sister NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 4 laughs laugh VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 , , PUNCT , _ 7 punct _ _ 6 " " PUNCT `` _ 7 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 7 Mum mum NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 8 , , PUNCT , _ 11 punct _ _ 9 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 10 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 11 aux _ _ 11 doing do VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 4 parataxis _ _ 12 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 14 det _ _ 13 dragon dragon NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 compound _ _ 14 voice voice NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 15 ! ! PUNCT . _ 14 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 16 " " PUNCT '' _ 14 punct _ _ 17 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 19 advmod _ _ 18 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 19 nsubj _ _ 19 says say VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 11 advcl _ _ 20 " " PUNCT `` _ 23 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 21 HO ho NOUN NN Number=Sing 23 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 22 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 23 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 23 tel tel NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 24 " " PUNCT '' _ 23 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 25 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **laugh** | present | Noah's sister | Mum | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **do** *in a quote* | present · progressive | Noah | a dragon voice | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent voice=Eventuality | | 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Noah | HO tel | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent tel=Topic | 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. *Sentence 2:* What would a French person say? ```conllu # sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t5:2 # text = What would a French person say? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 6 obj _ _ 2 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 6 aux _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 French French ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 person person NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 nsubj _ _ 6 say say VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 7 ? ? PUNCT . _ 6 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | would | a French person | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic | ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 {#o1} "HO-tel", it is the same in every language ```conllu # sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t5:o1:1 # text = "HO-tel", it is the same in every language 1 " " PUNCT `` _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 HO ho NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 3 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 tel tel NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 5 " " PUNCT '' _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ _ 7 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 10 nsubj _ _ 8 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 10 cop _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 same same ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 11 in in ADP IN _ 13 case _ _ 12 every every DET DT PronType=Tot 13 det _ _ 13 language language NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | HO tel | | | every language | | same *property* | tree rules | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2} "khoh-TEL", with a scrape in the throat ```conllu # sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t5:o2:1 # text = "khoh-TEL", with a scrape in the throat 1 " " PUNCT `` _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 khoh khoh NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 3 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 TEL tel NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 " " PUNCT '' _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 9 punct _ _ 7 with with ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 8 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 scrape scrape NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 conj _ _ 10 in in ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 11 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 12 throat throat NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 nmod _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3} "oh-TEL", leaving the h out ```conllu # sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t5:o3:1 # text = "oh-TEL", leaving the h out 1 " " PUNCT `` _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 oh oh INTJ UH _ 4 discourse _ SpaceAfter=No 3 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 2 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 TEL tel NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 " " PUNCT '' _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 7 punct _ _ 7 leaving leave VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 4 appos _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 h H NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obj _ _ 10 out out ADP RP _ 7 compound:prt _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **leave out** | gerund | | the h | | | | | vn neglect-75.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent h=Theme | ### Option 4 {#o4} "hoh-TELL", with a soft puff ```conllu # sent_id = question:french:1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes:t5:o4:1 # text = "hoh-TELL", with a soft puff 1 " " PUNCT `` _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 hoh hoh NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 3 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 2 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 TELL tell NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 " " PUNCT '' _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 10 punct _ _ 7 with with ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 8 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 9 soft soft ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 10 amod _ _ 10 puff puff NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 conj _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. **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. - ← previous: [Silent letters: why French doesn't say…, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/t4/) - next →: [Silent letters: why French doesn't say…, test 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/t6/) - ↑ back to [Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/)