--- title: A Gen Z teen says "dad jokes are mid, they're not real jokes." ("Mid… — Puns and jokes that need a pun · tree and pragmatics description: A Gen Z teen says "dad jokes are mid, they're not real jokes." ("Mid" means average, not great.) What's fairer? Test 4 · ★★★ of lesson 28 «Puns and jokes that need a pun» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun/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/) / [Puns and jokes that need a pun](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun/) / t4 # Test 4 · ★★★ · Puns and jokes that need a pun A Gen Z teen says "dad jokes are mid, they're not real jokes." ("Mid" means average, not great.) What's fairer? **Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Z teen, dad jokes, jokes, Mid · **What happens:** say, be, not be, mean · **To what, where:** real jokes, average · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is test 4 · ★★★ of lesson 28 «Puns and jokes that need a pun» 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/28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun/#t4). ## The question {#question} *Sentence 1:* A Gen Z teen says "dad jokes are mid, they're not real jokes." ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun:t4:1 # text = A Gen Z teen says "dad jokes are mid, they're not real jokes." 1 A a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 2 Gen gen NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 compound _ _ 3 Z z NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ _ 4 teen teen NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nsubj _ _ 5 says say VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 6 " " PUNCT `` _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 7 dad dad NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 compound _ _ 8 jokes joke NOUN NNS Number=Plur 10 nsubj _ _ 9 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 10 cop _ _ 10 mid mid ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 16 punct _ _ 12 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 16 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 13 're be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 16 cop _ _ 14 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 16 advmod _ _ 15 real real ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 16 amod _ _ 16 jokes joke NOUN NNS Number=Plur 10 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 17 . . PUNCT . _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 18 " " PUNCT '' _ 10 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a Z teen | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | dad jokes | | | | | mid *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **not** **is a** *in a quote* | present | jokes *= joke* | real jokes | | | | | tree rules | 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. *Sentence 2:* ("Mid" means average, not great.) ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun:t4:2 # text = ("Mid" means average, not great.) 1 ( ( PUNCT -LRB- _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 " " PUNCT `` _ 3 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 3 Mid Mid PROPN NNP Number=Sing 5 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 4 " " PUNCT '' _ 3 punct _ _ 5 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 6 average average ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 7 , , PUNCT , _ 9 punct _ _ 8 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 9 advmod _ _ 9 great great ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 6 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 10 . . PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 ) ) PUNCT -RRB- _ 5 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mean** | present | Mid | average | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent average=Topic | *Sentence 3:* What's fairer? ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun:t4:3 # text = What's fairer? 1 What what PRON WP PronType=Int 3 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 2 's be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 cop _ _ 3 fairer fair ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 4 ? ? PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | | | | | | fair *property* | tree rules | ## The options {#options} ### Option 1 {#o1} She's right, they can't be jokes if nobody laughs ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun:t4:o1:1 # text = She's right, they can't be jokes if nobody laughs 1 She she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 2 's 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 , _ 9 punct _ _ 5 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 9 nsubj _ _ 6 ca can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 9 aux _ SpaceAfter=No 7 n't not PART RB Polarity=Neg 9 advmod _ _ 8 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 9 cop _ _ 9 jokes joke NOUN NNS Number=Plur 3 parataxis _ _ 10 if if SCONJ IN _ 12 mark _ _ 11 nobody nobody PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 12 nsubj _ _ 12 laughs laugh VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 9 advcl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | She | | | | | right *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **not** **is a** | can | they | jokes | | | | | tree rules | | 3 | **laugh** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | nobody | | | | | | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent | ### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2} They're jokes only in Ireland ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun:t4:o2:1 # text = They're jokes only in Ireland 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 2 're be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 cop _ _ 3 jokes joke NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ _ 4 only only ADV RB _ 6 advmod _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 Ireland Ireland PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | They | jokes | | Ireland | | | tree rules | ### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3} They are real jokes; the groan is part of the fun ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun:t4:o3:1 # text = They are real jokes; the groan is part of the fun 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 2 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 3 real real ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 jokes joke NOUN NNS Number=Plur 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 5 ; ; PUNCT , _ 9 punct _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 groan groan NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 nsubj _ _ 8 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 9 cop _ _ 9 part part NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 conj _ _ 10 of of ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 11 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 12 fun fun NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 nmod _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | They | real jokes and part | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **is a** | present | the groan | part | | | | of the fun | tree rules | ### Option 4 {#o4} Only mums can tell them ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun:t4:o4:1 # text = Only mums can tell them 1 Only only ADV RB _ 2 advmod _ _ 2 mums mum NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 nsubj _ _ 3 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 4 tell tell VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 5 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 iobj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | can | mums | | them *= they* | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent they=Recipient | **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: [Puns and jokes that need a pun, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun/t3/) - next →: [Puns and jokes that need a pun, test 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun/t5/) - ↑ back to [Puns and jokes that need a pun](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun/)