---
title: A teacher says "In Ukrainian you say 'я нічого не знаю' (I nothing n… — Is there one proper English? The big a… · tree and pragmatics
description: A teacher says "In Ukrainian you say 'я нічого не знаю' (I nothing not know)." What does that show? Test 5 · ★★★ of lesson 20 «Is there one proper English? The big arguments» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; 
---

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# Test 5 · ★★★ · Is there one proper English? The big arguments

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A teacher says "In Ukrainian you say 'я нічого не знаю' (I nothing not know)." What does that show?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** teacher, you, я, that · **What happens:** say, знаю, not know, show · **To what, where:** Ukrainian · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★★ of lesson 20 «Is there one proper English? The big arguments» 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/20-is-there-one-proper-english/#t5).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A teacher says "In Ukrainian you say 'я нічого не знаю' (I nothing not know)."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:20-is-there-one-proper-english:t5:1
# text = A teacher says "In Ukrainian you say 'я нічого не знаю' (I nothing not know)."
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	In	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Ukrainian	Ukrainian	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	_
7	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	say	say	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
9	'	'	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	я	я	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	13	nsubj	_	_
11	нічого	нічого	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	10	flat:foreign	_	_
12	не	не	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	10	flat:foreign	_	_
13	знаю	знаю	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	'	'	PUNCT	''	_	13	punct	_	_
15	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	19	nsubj	_	_
17	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	19	nsubj	_	_
18	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	19	advmod	_	_
19	know	know	VERB	VB	Mood=Sub|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a teacher |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | present | you |  |  | Ukrainian |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **знаю** *in a quote* |  | я |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **not** **know** *in a quote* | infinitive | a teacher *= teacher* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What does that show?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:20-is-there-one-proper-english:t5:2
# text = What does that show?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	4	nsubj	_	_
4	show	show	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present · do-support | that |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent what=Recipient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ukrainian grammar is broken and wrong, like a mistake

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:20-is-there-one-proper-english:t5:o1:1
# text = Ukrainian grammar is broken and wrong, like a mistake
1	Ukrainian	ukrainian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	grammar	grammar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	broken	break	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	parataxis	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **break** | present · passive |  | Ukrainian grammar |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Double negatives are normal in some languages

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:20-is-there-one-proper-english:t5:o2:1
# text = Double negatives are normal in some languages
1	Double	double	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	negatives	negative	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	normal	normal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	7	det	_	_
7	languages	language	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Double negatives |  |  | some languages |  | normal *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It's a mistake that only children make

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:20-is-there-one-proper-english:t5:o3:1
# text = It's a mistake that only children make
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	mistake	mistake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	8	obj	_	_
6	only	only	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	make	make	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a mistake |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **make** | present | children | a mistake |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent that=Product |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ukrainians mean they do know everything

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:20-is-there-one-proper-english:t5:o4:1
# text = Ukrainians mean they do know everything
1	Ukrainians	Ukrainian	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	mean	mean	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
4	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
5	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	_
6	everything	everything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Ukrainians |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **know** | present · do-support | Ukrainians *= ukrainian* | everything |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer everything=Stimulus |

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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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