---
title: Identify the principal reason for which the letter "s" appears in th… — Silent letters and the mystery of -ough · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which the letter "s" appears in the word "island". Exam question 2 of lesson 13 «Silent letters and the mystery of -ough» 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 w
---

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# Exam question 2 · Silent letters and the mystery of -ough

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which the letter "s" appears in the word "island".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, letter · **What happens:** identify, appear · **To what, where:** principal reason, word

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 2 of lesson 13 «Silent letters and the mystery of -ough» 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/13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which the letter "s" appears in the word "island".
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	12	obl	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
9	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	s	s	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
12	appears	appear	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl	_	_
13	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
16	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	island	island	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **appear** | present | the letter |  |  | the word |  | for the principal reason | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in word=Location |

<!-- .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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Scholars of the sixteenth century erroneously associated the word with "isle" and "insula"

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough:e2:o1:1
# text = Scholars of the sixteenth century erroneously associated the word with "isle" and "insula"
1	Scholars	scholar	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
2	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	sixteenth	sixteenth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	century	century	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	_
6	erroneously	erroneously	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	associated	associate	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	with	with	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	isle	isle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	16	cc	_	_
15	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	insula	insula	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **associate** | past | Scholars of the sixteenth century | the word |  |  |  | with isle and insula; erroneously *property* | vn amalgamate-22.2-2 «NP V NP PP.co-patient»: agent=Agent word=Patient with isle=Co-Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The word is a compound of "is" and "land"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough:e2:o2:1
# text = The word is a compound of "is" and "land"
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	compound	compound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
10	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
11	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	land	land	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the word | a compound and land |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** *in a quote* | present | a compound and land *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The letter denotes the plural number

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough:e2:o3:1
# text = The letter denotes the plural number
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	denotes	denote	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	plural	plural	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	number	number	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **denote** | present | the letter | the plural number |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot number=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The letter was pronounced throughout the Old English period

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough:e2:o4:1
# text = The letter was pronounced throughout the Old English period
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	pronounced	pronounce	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	throughout	throughout	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	Old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	period	period	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pronounce** | past · passive |  | the letter |  |  | throughout the Old English period |  | vn dub-29.3.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |

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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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- ← previous: [Silent letters and the mystery of -ough, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough/e1/)
- next →: [Silent letters and the mystery of -ough, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Silent letters and the mystery of -ough](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/13-silent-letters-and-the-mystery-of-ough/)