---
title: Grace's headline says "Man bites dog!" Her brother says "same as dog… — What language is: sounds, words and ru… · tree and pragmatics
description: Grace's headline says "Man bites dog!" Her brother says "same as dog bites man, innit." Is he right? ("Innit" here just asks "isn't it?") Test 4 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 pragm
---

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# Test 4 · What language is: sounds, words and rules everyone shares

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grace's headline says "Man bites dog!" Her brother says "same as dog bites man, innit." Is he right? ("Innit" here just asks "isn't it?")

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** headline, Man, Grace, brother, Innit · **What happens:** say, bite, headline, be, ask, not be · **To what, where:** dog, same · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 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/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Grace's headline says "Man bites dog!"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:1
# text = Grace's headline says "Man bites dog!"
1	Grace	Grace	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	headline	headline	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	Man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	bites	bite	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
8	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: express* | present | Grace's headline |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **bite** *in a quote* | present | Man | dog |  |  |  |  | vn swat-18.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent dog=Patient |
| 3 | **headline** |  | Grace |  |  |  |  |  | nom headline «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .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:* Her brother says "same as dog bites man, innit."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:2
# text = Her brother says "same as dog bites man, innit."
1	Her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	obj	_	_
6	as	as	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	dog	dog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	bites	bite	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	compound	_	_
9	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
11	innit	innit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | headline's brother | same |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent same=Topic |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Is he right?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:3
# text = Is he right?
1	Is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	right	right	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 | brother |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 4:* ("Innit" here just asks "isn't it?")

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:4
# text = ("Innit" here just asks "isn't it?")
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	Innit	Innit	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	here	here	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	7	advmod	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | Innit |  |  | here |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **is a** *in a quote* | present |  | same |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, swapping who comes before the verb swaps the meaning

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:o1:1
# text = No, swapping who comes before the verb swaps the meaning
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	3	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
3	swapping	swap	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	csubj	_	_
4	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	5	nsubj	_	_
5	comes	come	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
6	before	before	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	verb	verb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	swaps	swap	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **swap** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **come** | present |  |  |  | the verb |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme before verb=Location |
| 3 | **swap** | present | swapping | the meaning |  |  |  |  | vn exchange-13.6.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, because "bites" changes its spelling

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:o2:1
# text = No, because "bites" changes its spelling
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	bites	bite	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
7	changes	change	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	spelling	spelling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **change** | present | bites | its spelling |  |  |  |  | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent spelling=Patient |
| 2 | **spell** |  | its *= it* |  |  |  |  |  | nom spelling «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, because the very same words are used in both of them

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:o3:1
# text = Yes, because the very same words are used in both of them
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	9	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
5	very	very	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
9	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	obl	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, because dogs bite more often

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:1-what-language-is-sounds-words-and-rules:t4:o4:1
# text = Yes, because dogs bite more often
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	dogs	dog	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	bite	bite	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	7	advmod	_	_
7	often	often	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bite** | present | dogs |  |  |  |  | often *property* | vn swat-18.2 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- div src -->

**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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