--- title: What would happen if we spelled every word exactly as it sounds? — Spelling traps: their, there, they're… · tree and pragmatics description: What would happen if we spelled every word exactly as it sounds? Test 3 of lesson 12 «Spelling traps: their, there, they're and friends» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre/t3/) [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/) / [Spelling traps: their, there, they're…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre/) / t3 # Test 3 · Spelling traps: their, there, they're and friends What would happen if we spelled every word exactly as it sounds? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** we, word · **What happens:** happen, spell, sound · **To what, where:** word This is test 3 of lesson 12 «Spelling traps: their, there, they're and friends» 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/12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre/#t3). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre:t3:1 # text = What would happen if we spelled every word exactly as it sounds? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 3 nsubj _ _ 2 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 happen happen VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 if if SCONJ IN _ 6 mark _ _ 5 we we PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 6 nsubj _ _ 6 spelled spell VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 advcl _ _ 7 every every DET DT PronType=Tot 8 det _ _ 8 word word NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obj _ _ 9 exactly exactly ADV RB _ 12 advmod _ _ 10 as as SCONJ IN _ 12 mark _ _ 11 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 12 nsubj _ _ 12 sounds sound VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 6 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 13 ? ? PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **happen** | would | | | | | | | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **spell** *a condition, not said to happen* | participle | we | every word | | | | | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP ADVP»: agent=Agent word=Theme | | 3 | **sound** | present | word | | | | | exactly *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus | 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} Nobody could write "too" ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre:t3:o1:1 # text = Nobody could write "too" 1 Nobody nobody PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 3 nsubj _ _ 2 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 write write VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 " " PUNCT `` _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 5 too too ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 6 " " PUNCT '' _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **write** | could | Nobody | | | | | | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | ### Option 2 {#o2} Nothing, because they already look different from each other ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre:t3:o2:1 # text = Nothing, because they already look different from each other 1 Nothing nothing PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 2 , , PUNCT , _ 6 punct _ _ 3 because because SCONJ IN _ 6 mark _ _ 4 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 6 nsubj _ _ 5 already already ADV RB _ 6 advmod _ _ 6 look look VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 1 acl:relcl _ _ 7 different different ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 6 xcomp _ _ 8 from from ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 9 each each DET DT ExtPos=PRON|PronType=Rcp 7 obl _ _ 10 other other ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 9 fixed _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **look** | present | they | | | | | different *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus | ### Option 3 {#o3} We'd need more letters for "there" ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre:t3:o3:1 # text = We'd need more letters for "there" 1 We we PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 2 'd would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 need need VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 more more ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 5 amod _ _ 5 letters letter NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obj _ _ 6 for for ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 " " PUNCT `` _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 8 there there ADV RB PronType=Dem 3 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 9 " " PUNCT '' _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **need** | would | We | more letters | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot letter=Theme | ### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4} Their, there and they're would all look the same ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre:t3:o4:1 # text = Their, there and they're would all look the same 1 Their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 3 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 2 , , PUNCT , _ 3 punct _ _ 3 there there ADV RB PronType=Dem 0 root _ _ 4 and and CCONJ CC _ 9 cc _ _ 5 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 9 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 6 're be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 9 aux _ _ 7 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 9 aux _ _ 8 all all ADV RB _ 9 advmod _ _ 9 look look VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 conj _ _ 10 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 11 same same ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 9 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **look** | would · present | they | the same | | | | all *property* | vn seem-109-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme same=Attribute | **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: [Spelling traps: their, there, they're…, test 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre/t2/) - next →: [Spelling traps: their, there, they're…, test 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre/t4/) - ↑ back to [Spelling traps: their, there, they're and friends](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/12-spelling-traps-their-there-theyre/)