---
title: Uncle Dave says y'all is just a mistake people make when they don't… — What language is: sounds, words and ru… · tree and pragmatics
description: Uncle Dave says y'all is just a mistake people make when they don't know better. What's true? Test 11 of lesson 1 «What language is: sounds, words and rules everyone shares» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; M
---

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# Test 11 · What language is: sounds, words and rules everyone shares

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Uncle Dave says y'all is just a mistake people make when they don't know better. What's true?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Uncle Dave, y'all, people · **What happens:** say, be, make, not know · **To what, where:** mistake · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 11 of lesson 1 «What language is: sounds, words and rules everyone shares» of the language 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/language/1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules/#t11).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Uncle Dave says y'all is just a mistake people make when they don't know better.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t11:1
# text = Uncle Dave says y'all is just a mistake people make when they don't know better.
1	Uncle	Uncle	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	Dave	Dave	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	y'all	y'all	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	ccomp	_	_
9	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
10	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	acl:relcl	_	_
11	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	15	advmod	_	_
12	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
13	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
15	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	advcl	_	_
16	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	15	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Uncle Dave |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | present | y'all | a mistake |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **make** | present | people | a mistake *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mistake=Product |
| 4 | **not** **know** | present · do-support | people |  |  |  |  | good *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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's true?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t11:2
# text = What's true?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is right, it's a spelling mistake

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t11:o1:1
# text = He is right, it's a spelling mistake
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
5	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | He |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | it | a spelling mistake |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is only used by cowboys in films

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t11:o2:1
# text = It is only used by cowboys in films
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	cowboys	cowboy	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	films	film	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present · passive | cowboys | It |  | films |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is a normal part of Southern American English, meaning you all

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t11:o3:1
# text = It is a normal part of Southern American English, meaning you all
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	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	normal	normal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	part	part	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	Southern	southern	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	American	American	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	meaning	mean	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	_
12	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
13	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	12	nmod:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a normal part |  |  |  | of Southern American English | tree rules |
| 2 | **mean** | gerund | a normal part *not said here* | you |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent you=Topic |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It means "yellow" in Texas

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t11:o4:1
# text = It means "yellow" in Texas
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	yellow	yellow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	Texas	Texas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | It | yellow |  |  |  | in Texas | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Pivot yellow=Theme in texas=Attribute |

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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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