---
title: Taffy sends a picture-letter and her mother thinks Tegumai has been… — How writing began: from tally marks an… · tree and pragmatics
description: Taffy sends a picture-letter and her mother thinks Tegumai has been hurt. What does this show about pictures? Test 1 · ★★ of lesson 82 «How writing began: from tally marks and pictures to the alphabet» of the history course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the que
---

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# Test 1 · ★★ · How writing began: from tally marks and pictures to the al…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Taffy sends a picture-letter and her mother thinks Tegumai has been hurt. What does this show about pictures?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Taffy, mother, this · **What happens:** send, think, hurt, show · **To what, where:** picture letter, Tegumai · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 1 · ★★ of lesson 82 «How writing began: from tally marks and pictures to the alphabet» 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/82-how-writing-began-from-tally-marks-and-pictures-to-the-alphabet/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Taffy sends a picture-letter and her mother thinks Tegumai has been hurt.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:82-how-writing-began-from-tally-marks-and-pictures-to-the-alphabet:t1:1
# text = Taffy sends a picture-letter and her mother thinks Tegumai has been hurt.
1	Taffy	Taffy	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sends	send	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
4	picture	picture	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	mother	mother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	thinks	think	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
11	Tegumai	Tegumai	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	14	nsubj:pass	_	_
12	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
13	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	14	aux:pass	_	_
14	hurt	hurt	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	10	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **send** | present | Taffy | a picture letter |  |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent letter=Theme |
| 2 | **think** *speech: other* | present | Taffy's mother |  |  |  |  |  | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **hurt** | present · perfect · passive |  | Tegumai |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-2 «NP V NP»: subject=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What does this show about pictures?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:82-how-writing-began-from-tally-marks-and-pictures-to-the-alphabet:t1:2
# text = What does this show about pictures?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	this	this	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
4	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	about	about	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	pictures	picture	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present · do-support | this |  |  |  |  | about pictures | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent what=Recipient about picture=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They can be read in different ways, unlike words

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:82-how-writing-began-from-tally-marks-and-pictures-to-the-alphabet:t1:o1:1
# text = They can be read in different ways, unlike words
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	read	read	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	different	different	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	ways	way	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	unlike	unlike	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **read** | can · passive |  | They |  | different ways |  | unlike words | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pictures are faster to read than any letters

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:82-how-writing-began-from-tally-marks-and-pictures-to-the-alphabet:t1:o2:1
# text = Pictures are faster to read than any letters
1	Pictures	picture	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	faster	fast	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	read	read	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
6	than	than	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	8	det	_	_
8	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Pictures |  |  |  |  | fast *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **read** | to-infinitive | Pictures *not said here* |  |  |  |  | than any letters | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mothers cannot read pictures at all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:82-how-writing-began-from-tally-marks-and-pictures-to-the-alphabet:t1:o3:1
# text = Mothers cannot read pictures at all
1	Mothers	mother	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	read	read	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	pictures	picture	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **read** | can | Mothers | pictures |  | all |  |  | vn register-54.1-2-1 «NP V NP PP.value»: agent=Agent picture=Theme at all=Value |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pictures always mean exactly one thing to everybody who sees them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:history:82-how-writing-began-from-tally-marks-and-pictures-to-the-alphabet:t1:o4:1
# text = Pictures always mean exactly one thing to everybody who sees them
1	Pictures	picture	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	3	advmod	_	_
3	mean	mean	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	everybody	everybody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	3	obl	_	_
9	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	10	nsubj	_	_
10	sees	see	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	acl:relcl	_	_
11	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Pictures | one thing |  |  |  | to everybody; always *property* | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot thing=Theme to everybody=Attribute |
| 2 | **see** | present |  | Pictures *= picture* |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer they=Stimulus |

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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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