---
title: Dad says English is "the biggest language on Earth, end of." Which i… — Where English came from · tree and pragmatics
description: Dad says English is "the biggest language on Earth, end of." Which is true? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 22 «Where English came from» 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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# Test 9 · ★ · Where English came from

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dad says English is "the biggest language on Earth, end of." Which is true?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Dad, English · **What happens:** say, be · **To what, where:** biggest language, Earth · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 22 «Where English came from» 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/22-where-english-came-from/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Dad says English is "the biggest language on Earth, end of."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t9:1
# text = Dad says English is "the biggest language on Earth, end of."
1	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	biggest	big	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	8	amod	_	_
8	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	ccomp	_	_
9	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	Earth	Earth	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	parataxis	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Dad |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | English | the biggest language |  | Earth |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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:* Which is true?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t9:2
# text = Which is true?
1	Which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spanish is the biggest by every measure, native speakers and learners alike

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t9:o1:1
# text = Spanish is the biggest by every measure, native speakers and learners alike
1	Spanish	Spanish	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	biggest	big	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	det	_	_
7	measure	measure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	native	native	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	speakers	speaker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	conj	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	learners	learner	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	conj	_	_
13	alike	alike	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Spanish |  |  |  |  | by every measure and native speakers and learners; alike, big *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
French has the most speakers overall

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t9:o2:1
# text = French has the most speakers overall
1	French	French	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	most	most	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	5	amod	_	_
5	speakers	speaker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
6	overall	overall	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | French | the most speakers |  |  |  | overall *property* | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent speaker=Patient |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It depends: Mandarin has most native speakers, English most speakers overall

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t9:o3:1
# text = It depends: Mandarin has most native speakers, English most speakers overall
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	depends	depend	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	5	punct	_	_
4	Mandarin	Mandarin	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	_
6	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	7	advmod	_	_
7	native	native	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	speakers	speaker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	12	compound	_	_
11	most	most	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	12	amod	_	_
12	speakers	speaker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
13	overall	overall	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **depend** | present | It | English most speakers |  |  |  | overall *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | present | Mandarin | native speakers |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent speaker=Patient |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Dad is right: English has the most native speakers and the most speakers overall

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:22-where-english-came-from:t9:o4:1
# text = Dad is right: English has the most native speakers and the most speakers overall
1	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	6	punct	_	_
5	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	csubj	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
8	most	most	ADV	RBS	Degree=Sup	9	advmod	_	_
9	native	native	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	speakers	speaker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	most	most	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	14	amod	_	_
14	speakers	speaker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	conj	_	_
15	overall	overall	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Dad |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | present | English | the native speakers and the most speakers |  |  |  | overall *property* | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent speaker=Patient |

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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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