---
title: In respect of the origin of the expression "raining cats and dogs",… — Idioms taken literally · tree and pragmatics
description: In respect of the origin of the expression "raining cats and dogs", select the response consistent with the established facts. Exam question 3 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 op
---

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# Exam question 3 · Idioms taken literally

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In respect of the origin of the expression "raining cats and dogs", select the response consistent with the established facts.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** expression, you · **What happens:** rain, select, establish, respect · **To what, where:** cats, response, respect, origin

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 3 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/#e3).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e3:1
# text = In respect of the origin of the expression "raining cats and dogs", select the response consistent with the established facts.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	respect	respect	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obl	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	origin	origin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	raining	rain	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	acl	_	_
11	cats	cat	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	dogs	dog	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
16	select	select	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	response	response	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	obj	_	_
19	consistent	consistent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	18	amod	_	_
20	with	with	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
21	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
22	established	establish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	23	amod	_	_
23	facts	fact	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	19	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	16	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **rain** *in a quote* | gerund | the expression *not said here* | cats and dogs |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **select** | imperative | you *not said here* | the response |  | respect of the origin of the expression |  |  | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent response=Theme |
| 3 | **establish** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn indicate-78-1-1 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 4 | **respect** |  |  | the origin of the expression |  |  |  |  | nom respect «cognition 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 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was coined by Shakespeare in 1600

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e3:o1:1
# text = It was coined by Shakespeare in 1600
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	coined	coin	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	Shakespeare	Shakespeare	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	1600	1600	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **coin** | past · passive | Shakespeare | It |  | 1600 |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Result |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It derives from a Latin weather proverb

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e3:o2:1
# text = It derives from a Latin weather proverb
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	derives	derive	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
5	Latin	Latin	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
6	weather	weather	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	compound	_	_
7	proverb	proverb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **derive** | present | It |  |  | a Latin weather proverb |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP PP.material»: agent=Agent from proverb=Material |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is proven to derive from animals falling from the roofs of houses in storms

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e3:o3:1
# text = It is proven to derive from animals falling from the roofs of houses in storms
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	proven	prove	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	derive	derive	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
8	falling	fall	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
9	from	from	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	roofs	roof	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
12	of	of	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	houses	house	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nmod	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	storms	storm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prove** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: subject=Attribute clause=Theme |
| 2 | **derive** | to-infinitive |  |  |  | storms |  | from animals | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in storm=Location |
| 3 | **fall** | gerund | animals *not said here* |  |  | the roofs of houses |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from roof=Initial\_Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Its origin is uncertain and the popular explanations are unproven

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:25-idioms-taken-literally:e3:o4:1
# text = Its origin is uncertain and the popular explanations are unproven
1	Its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	origin	origin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	uncertain	uncertain	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	popular	popular	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	explanations	explanation	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
9	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	unproven	unproven	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Its origin |  |  |  |  | uncertain *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** | present | the popular explanations |  |  |  |  | unproven *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.

<!-- /div -->

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