---
title: Ascertain the meaning of the word "nice" in Middle English. — Slang and how it changes with every ge… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the meaning of the word "nice" in Middle English. Exam question 4 of lesson 17 «Slang and how it changes with every generation» 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.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Slang and how it changes with every generation

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the meaning of the word "nice" in Middle English.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, mean · **To what, where:** meaning, word

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This is exam question 4 of lesson 17 «Slang and how it changes with every generation» 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/17-slang-and-how-it-changes-with-every-generation/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:17-slang-and-how-it-changes-with-every-generation:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the meaning of the word "nice" in Middle English.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	nice	nice	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	Middle	Middle	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
12	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the meaning of the word |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Topic |
| 2 | **mean** |  |  | the word |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pleasant and agreeable

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:17-slang-and-how-it-changes-with-every-generation:e4:o1:1
# text = Pleasant and agreeable
1	Pleasant	pleasant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	agreeable	agreeable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Foolish

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:17-slang-and-how-it-changes-with-every-generation:e4:o2:1
# text = Foolish
1	Foolish	foolish	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Of considerable expense

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:17-slang-and-how-it-changes-with-every-generation:e4:o3:1
# text = Of considerable expense
1	Of	of	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	considerable	considerable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	expense	expense	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Of exceptionally low temperature

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:17-slang-and-how-it-changes-with-every-generation:e4:o4:1
# text = Of exceptionally low temperature
1	Of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
2	exceptionally	exceptionally	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	low	low	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	temperature	temperature	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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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.

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