--- title: In respect of the sentence "Neither the cat nor the dogs ___ hungry"… — Grammar puzzles, part one · tree and pragmatics description: In respect of the sentence "Neither the cat nor the dogs ___ hungry", determine the verb form required by the rule of proximity. Exam question 4 of lesson 11 «Grammar puzzles, part one» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of ea --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/11-grammar-puzzles-part-one/e4/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Language](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/) / [Grammar puzzles, part one](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/11-grammar-puzzles-part-one/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · Grammar puzzles, part one In respect of the sentence "Neither the cat nor the dogs \_\_\_ hungry", determine the verb form required by the rule of proximity. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, verb, proximity · **What happens:** determine, form, require, respect, rule · **To what, where:** respect, sentence This is exam question 4 of lesson 11 «Grammar puzzles, part one» of the language course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. 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/11-grammar-puzzles-part-one/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:11-grammar-puzzles-part-one:e4:1 # text = In respect of the sentence "Neither the cat nor the dogs ___ hungry", determine the verb form required by the rule of proximity. 1 In in ADP IN _ 2 case _ _ 2 respect respect NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 obl _ _ 3 of of ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 sentence sentence NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ 6 " " PUNCT `` _ 9 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 7 Neither neither CCONJ CC Polarity=Neg 9 cc:preconj _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 cat cat NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 appos _ _ 10 nor nor CCONJ CC Polarity=Neg 12 cc _ _ 11 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 12 dogs dog NOUN NNS Number=Plur 9 conj _ _ 13 _ _ PUNCT NFP _ 9 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 14 _ _ PUNCT NFP _ 16 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 15 _ _ PUNCT NFP _ 16 punct _ _ 16 hungry hungry ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 17 " " PUNCT '' _ 16 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 2 punct _ _ 19 determine determine VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 20 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 21 verb verb NOUN NN Number=Sing 22 nsubj _ _ 22 form form VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 19 ccomp _ _ 23 required require VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 22 xcomp _ _ 24 by by ADP IN _ 26 case _ _ 25 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 26 det _ _ 26 rule rule NOUN NN Number=Sing 23 obl _ _ 27 of of ADP IN _ 28 case _ _ 28 proximity proximity NOUN NN Number=Sing 26 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 29 . . PUNCT . _ 19 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **determine** | imperative | you *not said here* | | | respect of the sentence | | | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 2 | **form** | present | the verb | | | | | | tree rules | | 3 | **require** | participle | the verb *not said here* | | | | | by the rule of proximity | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Theme | | 4 | **respect** | | | the sentence | | | | | nom respect «cognition transitive»: of=patient | | 5 | **rule** | | proximity | | | | | | nom rule «cognition intransitive»: of=agent | 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. ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1} was ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:11-grammar-puzzles-part-one:e4:o1:1 # text = was 1 was be VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **be** | past | | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | ### Option 2 {#o2} be ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:11-grammar-puzzles-part-one:e4:o2:1 # text = be 1 be be VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **be** | imperative | you *not said here* | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | ### Option 3 {#o3} is ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:11-grammar-puzzles-part-one:e4:o3:1 # text = is 1 is be VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **be** | present | | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | ### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4} are ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:11-grammar-puzzles-part-one:e4:o4:1 # text = are 1 are be VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **be** | present | | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | **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. - ← previous: [Grammar puzzles, part one, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/11-grammar-puzzles-part-one/e3/) - next →: [Spelling traps: their, there, they're…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre/t1/) - ↑ back to [Grammar puzzles, part one](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/11-grammar-puzzles-part-one/)