--- title: What would happen if a shop sign said "Stationary for sale"? — Homophones: words that sound the same · tree and pragmatics description: What would happen if a shop sign said "Stationary for sale"? Test 4 of lesson 27 «Homophones: words that sound the same» 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. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same/t4/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Language](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/) / [Homophones: words that sound the same](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same/) / t4 # Test 4 · Homophones: words that sound the same What would happen if a shop sign said "Stationary for sale"? **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** shop sign · **What happens:** happen, say · **To what, where:** Stationary · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is test 4 of lesson 27 «Homophones: words that sound the same» 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/27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same/#t4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same:t4:1 # text = What would happen if a shop sign said "Stationary for sale"? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 3 nsubj _ _ 2 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 happen happen VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 if if SCONJ IN _ 8 mark _ _ 5 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 6 shop shop NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 compound _ _ 7 sign sign NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nsubj _ _ 8 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 advcl _ _ 9 " " PUNCT `` _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 10 Stationary stationary NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ _ 11 for for ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 12 sale sale NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 13 " " PUNCT '' _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 14 ? ? PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **happen** | would | | | | | | | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **say** *speech: assert* *a condition, not said to happen* | past | a shop sign | Stationary | | | | for sale | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent stationary=Topic | 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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1} It would say "standing still for sale", a funny mistake ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same:t4:o1:1 # text = It would say "standing still for sale", a funny mistake 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 say say VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 " " PUNCT `` _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 5 standing stand VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 3 advcl _ _ 6 still still ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 7 for for ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 8 sale sale NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 9 " " PUNCT '' _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 10 , , PUNCT , _ 13 punct _ _ 11 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 12 funny funny ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 13 amod _ _ 13 mistake mistake NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 conj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | would | It | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **stand** *in a quote* | gerund | | | | | still | for sale and a funny mistake | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer for sale=Attribute | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2} It would mean the shop is closed ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same:t4:o2:1 # text = It would mean the shop is closed 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 mean mean VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 shop shop NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nsubj:pass _ _ 6 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 7 aux:pass _ _ 7 closed close VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 ccomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mean** | would | It | | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **close** | present · passive | | the shop | | | | | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient | ### Option 3 {#o3} It would mean pens are free ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same:t4:o3:1 # text = It would mean pens are free 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 3 aux _ _ 3 mean mean VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 4 pens pen NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 nsubj _ _ 5 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 6 cop _ _ 6 free free ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 ccomp _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mean** | would | It | | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **is** | present | pens | | | | | free *property* | tree rules | ### Option 4 {#o4} Nothing, both spellings are fine ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same:t4:o4:1 # text = Nothing, both spellings are fine 1 Nothing nothing PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 2 , , PUNCT , _ 1 punct _ _ 3 both both DET DT PronType=Tot 4 det _ _ 4 spellings spelling NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 nsubj _ _ 5 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 6 cop _ _ 6 fine fine ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 1 acl:relcl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | both spellings | | | | | fine *property* | tree rules | **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. - ← previous: [Homophones: words that sound the same, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same/t3/) - next →: [Homophones: words that sound the same, test 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same/t5/) - ↑ back to [Homophones: words that sound the same](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/27-homophones-words-that-sound-the-same/)