--- title: In respect of the sentence "The teacher, said the pupil, is a fool",… — Punctuation that changes meaning · tree and pragmatics description: In respect of the sentence "The teacher, said the pupil, is a fool", ascertain the person to whom the epithet "fool" is applied. Exam question 4 of lesson 14 «Punctuation that changes meaning» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question an --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning/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/) / [Punctuation that changes meaning](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · Punctuation that changes meaning In respect of the sentence "The teacher, said the pupil, is a fool", ascertain the person to whom the epithet "fool" is applied. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** pupil · **What happens:** say, be, ascertain, apply, respect · **To what, where:** respect, fool, person, epithet, sentence · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is exam question 4 of lesson 14 «Punctuation that changes meaning» 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/14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:e4:1 # text = In respect of the sentence "The teacher, said the pupil, is a fool", ascertain the person to whom the epithet "fool" is applied. 1 In in ADP IN _ 2 case _ _ 2 respect respect NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 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 `` _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 7 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 teacher teacher NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 9 , , PUNCT , _ 2 punct _ _ 10 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 11 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 12 pupil pupil NOUN NN Number=Sing 16 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 13 , , PUNCT , _ 12 punct _ _ 14 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 16 cop _ _ 15 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 fool fool NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 17 " " PUNCT '' _ 16 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 19 punct _ _ 19 ascertain ascertain VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 10 conj _ _ 20 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 21 person person NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 obj _ _ 22 to to ADP IN _ 23 case _ _ 23 whom whom PRON WP PronType=Rel 19 obl _ _ 24 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 25 det _ _ 25 epithet epithet NOUN NN Number=Sing 30 nsubj:pass _ _ 26 " " PUNCT `` _ 27 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 27 fool fool NOUN NN Number=Sing 25 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 28 " " PUNCT '' _ 27 punct _ _ 29 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 30 aux:pass _ _ 30 applied apply VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 23 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 31 . . PUNCT . _ 10 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | past | | | | respect of the sentence | | | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: agent=Agent in respect=Manner | | 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | the pupil | a fool | | | | | tree rules | | 3 | **ascertain** | infinitive | | the person | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent person=Topic | | 4 | **apply** | present · passive | | the epithet | | | | | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme | | 5 | **respect** | | | the sentence | | | | | nom respect «cognition transitive»: of=patient | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1} The teacher ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:e4:o1:1 # text = The teacher 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 teacher teacher NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 2 {#o2} Neither person ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:e4:o2:1 # text = Neither person 1 Neither neither DET DT PronType=Neg 2 det _ _ 2 person person NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 3 {#o3} The pupil ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:e4:o3:1 # text = The pupil 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 pupil pupil NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 4 {#o4} Both persons ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:e4:o4:1 # text = Both persons 1 Both both DET DT PronType=Tot 2 det _ _ 2 persons person NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. **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: [Punctuation that changes meaning, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning/e3/) - next →: [The apostrophe war, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/15-the-apostrophe-war/t1/) - ↑ back to [Punctuation that changes meaning](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning/)