---
title: Ascertain the meaning of the Indian English verb "prepone". — Accents and dialects around the world · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the meaning of the Indian English verb "prepone". Exam question 4 of lesson 19 «Accents and dialects around the world» 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 right.
---

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# Exam question 4 · Accents and dialects around the world

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the meaning of the Indian English verb "prepone".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain, mean · **To what, where:** meaning, Indian English verb

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 19 «Accents and dialects around the world» 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/19-accents-and-dialects-around-the-world/#e4).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:19-accents-and-dialects-around-the-world:e4:1
# text = Ascertain the meaning of the Indian English verb "prepone".
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	_	8	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
6	Indian	Indian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
7	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	verb	verb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
9	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	prepone	prepone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	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 Indian English verb |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Topic |
| 2 | **mean** |  |  | the Indian English verb |  |  |  |  | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To bring forward to an earlier time

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:19-accents-and-dialects-around-the-world:e4:o1:1
# text = To bring forward to an earlier time
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	bring	bring	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	forward	forward	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	earlier	early	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	7	amod	_	_
7	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bring forward** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  | time | forward *property* | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To defer to a later time, day or date

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:19-accents-and-dialects-around-the-world:e4:o2:1
# text = To defer to a later time, day or date
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	defer	defer	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	later	late	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	amod	_	_
6	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
8	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
9	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	date	date	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **defer** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  | time |  | vn acquiesce-95.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To cancel altogether

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:19-accents-and-dialects-around-the-world:e4:o3:1
# text = To cancel altogether
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	cancel	cancel	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	altogether	altogether	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cancel** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | altogether *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To repeat on a later date

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:19-accents-and-dialects-around-the-world:e4:o4:1
# text = To repeat on a later date
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	repeat	repeat	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	later	late	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	6	amod	_	_
6	date	date	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **repeat** | to-infinitive |  |  |  | a later date |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

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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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