---
title: Identify the meaning conveyed by the expression "to cost an arm and… — Idioms taken literally · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the meaning conveyed by the expression "to cost an arm and a leg". Exam question 2 of lesson 25 «Idioms taken literally» 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 2 · Idioms taken literally

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the meaning conveyed by the expression "to cost an arm and a leg".

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, convey, cost · **To what, where:** meaning, arm

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 25 «Idioms taken literally» 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/25-idioms-taken-literally/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e2:1
# text = Identify the meaning conveyed by the expression "to cost an arm and a leg".
1	Identify	identify	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	conveyed	convey	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	to	to	PART	TO	_	10	mark	_	_
10	cost	cost	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
11	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	arm	arm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	leg	leg	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **identify** | imperative | you *not said here* | the meaning |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent meaning=Theme |
| 2 | **convey** | participle |  | the meaning *not said here* |  |  |  | by the expression | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **cost** *in a quote* | to-infinitive |  | a arm and a leg |  |  |  |  | vn cost-54.2 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme arm=Value |

<!-- .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 -->
To be obtainable without charge

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e2:o1:1
# text = To be obtainable without charge
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	3	mark	_	_
2	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	cop	_	_
3	obtainable	obtainable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	without	without	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	charge	charge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | without charge; obtainable *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To result in bodily injury

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e2:o2:1
# text = To result in bodily injury
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	result	result	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	bodily	bodily	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	injury	injury	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **result** | to-infinitive |  |  |  | bodily injury |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in injury=Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To require great physical exertion

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e2:o3:1
# text = To require great physical exertion
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	require	require	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
4	physical	physical	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	exertion	exertion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **require** | to-infinitive |  | great physical exertion |  |  |  |  | vn require-103-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme exertion=Precondition |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
To be exceedingly expensive

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e2:o4:1
# text = To be exceedingly expensive
1	To	to	PART	TO	_	4	mark	_	_
2	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	cop	_	_
3	exceedingly	exceedingly	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	expensive	expensive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
```

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

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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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- ← previous: [Idioms taken literally, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/25-idioms-taken-literally/e1/)
- next →: [Idioms taken literally, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/25-idioms-taken-literally/e3/)
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