--- title: A Scouse lad writes "Our kid, who's sound, fixed me bike." ("Our kid… — Punctuation that changes meaning · tree and pragmatics description: A Scouse lad writes "Our kid, who's sound, fixed me bike." ("Our kid" means my brother, "sound" means nice.) What do the commas show? Test 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/t4/) [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/) / t4 # Test 4 · ★ · Punctuation that changes meaning A Scouse lad writes "Our kid, who's sound, fixed me bike." ("Our kid" means my brother, "sound" means nice.) What do the commas show? **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Scouse lad, kid, sound, commas · **What happens:** write, be, fix, mean, show · **To what, where:** sound, bike, me, brother This is test 4 · ★ of lesson 14 «Punctuation that changes meaning» 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/14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning/#t4). ## The question {#question} *Sentence 1:* A Scouse lad writes "Our kid, who's sound, fixed me bike." ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:t4:1 # text = A Scouse lad writes "Our kid, who's sound, fixed me bike." 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 Scouse scouse NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 compound _ _ 3 lad lad NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 4 writes write VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 " " PUNCT `` _ 13 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 Our our PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 7 nmod:poss _ _ 7 kid kid NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 8 , , PUNCT , _ 11 punct _ _ 9 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 11 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 10 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 11 cop _ _ 11 sound sound NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 12 , , PUNCT , _ 7 punct _ _ 13 fixed fix VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ _ 14 me I PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 13 obj _ _ 15 bike bike NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 16 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 17 " " PUNCT '' _ 4 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **write** | present | a Scouse lad | | | | | | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | Our kid and sound | sound | | | | | tree rules | | 3 | **fix** *in a quote* | past | Our kid and sound | bike | me | | | | vn preparing-26.3-1 «NP V NP.beneficiary NP»: agent=Agent i=Beneficiary bike=Product | 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. *Sentence 2:* ("Our kid" means my brother, "sound" means nice.) ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:t4:2 # text = ("Our kid" means my brother, "sound" means nice.) 1 ( ( PUNCT -LRB- _ 6 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 " " PUNCT `` _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 3 Our our PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 4 nmod:poss _ _ 4 kid kid NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 5 " " PUNCT '' _ 4 punct _ _ 6 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 7 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 8 nmod:poss _ _ 8 brother brother NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 9 , , PUNCT , _ 13 punct _ _ 10 " " PUNCT `` _ 11 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 sound sound NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 12 " " PUNCT '' _ 11 punct _ _ 13 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 6 conj _ _ 14 nice nice ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 13 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 15 . . PUNCT . _ 6 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 16 ) ) PUNCT -RRB- _ 6 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mean** | present | Our kid | my brother | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent brother=Topic | | 2 | **mean** | present | sound | | | | | nice *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent | *Sentence 3:* What do the commas show? ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:t4:3 # text = What do the commas show? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 5 obj _ _ 2 do do AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 1 cop _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 commas comma NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 nsubj _ _ 5 show show VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 6 ? ? PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | | | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **show** | present | the commas | | | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1} A question ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:t4:o1:1 # text = A question 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 question question NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2} Extra information about his brother ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:t4:o2:1 # text = Extra information about his brother 1 Extra extra ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 amod _ _ 2 information information NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 about about ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 4 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 5 nmod:poss _ _ 5 brother brother NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 nmod _ _ ``` The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence. ### Option 3 {#o3} A list of three people ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:t4:o3:1 # text = A list of three people 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 list list NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 3 of of ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 4 three three NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 5 nummod _ _ 5 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **list** | | | three people | | | | | nom list «communication transitive»: of=patient | ### Option 4 {#o4} That he has many brothers to choose from ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:14-punctuation-that-changes-meaning:t4:o4:1 # text = That he has many brothers to choose from 1 That that PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 3 nsubj _ _ 2 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 3 has have VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 many many ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 brothers brother NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 obj _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 7 mark _ _ 7 choose choose VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 5 acl _ _ 8 from from ADP IN _ 7 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **have** | present | That | many brothers | | | | | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent brother=Patient | | 2 | **choose** | to-infinitive | That *not said here* | many brothers *not said here* | | | | | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | **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. 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