---
title: Amira says writing le hamster is "dead weird". ("Dead" means very.)… — Pets and animals · tree and pragmatics
description: Amira says writing le hamster is "dead weird". ("Dead" means very.) What is going on? Test 2 of lesson 15 «Pets and animals» of the French course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Test 2 · Pets and animals

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Amira says writing le hamster is "dead weird". ("Dead" means very.) What is going on?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Amira, writing · **What happens:** say, write, be, mean, go on · **To what, where:** le hamster · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 of lesson 15 «Pets and animals» 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/15-pets-and-animals/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Amira says writing le hamster is "dead weird".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:15-pets-and-animals:t2:1
# text = Amira says writing le hamster is "dead weird".
1	Amira	Amira	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	writing	write	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	csubj	_	_
4	le	le	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	hamster	hamster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	dead	dead	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	advmod	_	_
9	weird	weird	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Amira |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **write** | gerund |  | le hamster |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent hamster=Theme |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | writing |  |  |  |  | weird *property* | 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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* ("Dead" means very.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:15-pets-and-animals:t2:2
# text = ("Dead" means very.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	Dead	dead	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	csubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	very	very	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* What is going on?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:15-pets-and-animals:t2:3
# text = What is going on?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go on** | present · progressive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn function-105.2.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The h is said with a big puff

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:15-pets-and-animals:t2:o1:1
# text = The h is said with a big puff
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	h	H	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	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	big	big	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	puff	puff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present · passive |  | the h |  |  |  | with a big puff | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: subject=Theme with puff=Manner |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
hamster is a feminine word

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:15-pets-and-animals:t2:o2:1
# text = hamster is a feminine word
1	hamster	hamster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	feminine	feminine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | hamster | a feminine word |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A few h words act as if they began with a consonant

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:15-pets-and-animals:t2:o3:1
# text = A few h words act as if they began with a consonant
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	few	few	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
3	h	H	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	act	act	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
7	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	began	begin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	advcl	_	_
10	with	with	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	consonant	consonant	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **act** | present | a few h words |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **begin** | past | words *= word* |  |  |  |  | with a consonant | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V PP.subeventuality»: agent=Eventuality with consonant=Subeventuality |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
hamster is an English word, so it takes le

```conllu
# sent_id = question:french:15-pets-and-animals:t2:o4:1
# text = hamster is an English word, so it takes le
1	hamster	hamster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	English	English	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	so	so	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	takes	take	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
10	le	le	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | hamster | a English word |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **take** | present | it | le |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent le=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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