---
title: «Why do the old years count down, innit weird?» asks Elif. Why? — How we got here: the big steps on one… · tree and pragmatics
description: «Why do the old years count down, innit weird?» asks Elif. Why? Test 5 of lesson 61 «How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline» of the history course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 5 · How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Why do the old years count down, innit weird?» asks Elif. Why?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** old years, Elif · **What happens:** do, count down, innit, ask · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 of lesson 61 «How we got here: the big steps on one long timeline» of the history 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/history/61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline/#t5).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* «Why do the old years count down, innit weird?» asks Elif.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t5:1
# text = «Why do the old years count down, innit weird?» asks Elif.
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	3	advmod	_	_
3	do	do	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	advcl	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	count	count	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	ccomp	_	_
8	down	down	ADP	RP	_	7	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	innit	innit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	conj	_	_
11	weird	weird	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	_
14	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
15	Elif	Elif	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** *in a quote* | present | the old years *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **count down** *in a quote* | present | the old years |  |  |  |  |  | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |
| 3 | **innit** *in a quote* | infinitive | the old years *not said here* |  |  |  |  | weird *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | Elif |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |

<!-- .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:* Why?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t5:2
# text = Why?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because the ancient people just counted their years wrongly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t5:o1:1
# text = Because the ancient people just counted their years wrongly
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	ancient	ancient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	just	just	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	counted	count	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	8	nmod:poss	_	_
8	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
9	wrongly	wrongly	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **count** | past | the ancient people |  |  |  | year | wrongly *property* | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because time really did run backwards in those days

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t5:o2:1
# text = Because time really did run backwards in those days
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl:unmarked	_	_
3	really	really	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	run	run	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	backwards	backwards	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	those	that	DET	DT	Number=Plur|PronType=Dem	9	det	_	_
9	days	day	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **run** | past · do-support |  |  |  |  | day; time | backwards *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Because the old kings liked having bigger numbers

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t5:o3:1
# text = Because the old kings liked having bigger numbers
1	Because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	kings	king	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	liked	like	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	having	have	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	xcomp	_	_
7	bigger	big	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	8	amod	_	_
8	numbers	number	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **like** | past | the old kings |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **have** *not said to happen* | gerund | the old kings *not said here* | bigger numbers |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent number=Patient |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Years before the birth of Jesus are counted backwards

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:61-how-we-got-here-the-big-steps-on-one-long-timeline:t5:o4:1
# text = Years before the birth of Jesus are counted backwards
1	Years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	before	before	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	birth	birth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Jesus	Jesus	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	counted	count	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
9	backwards	backwards	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **count** | present · passive |  | Years before the birth of Jesus |  |  |  | backwards *property* | vn multiply-108 «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.

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