---
title: Identify the principal reason for which sarcasm is frequently misapp… — Sarcasm and tone of voice · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the principal reason for which sarcasm is frequently misapprehended in written text messages. Exam question 2 of lesson 29 «Sarcasm and tone of voice» 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 w
---

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# Exam question 2 · Sarcasm and tone of voice

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the principal reason for which sarcasm is frequently misapprehended in written text messages.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** identify, misapprehend, write · **To what, where:** principal reason, sarcasm, written text messages

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This is exam question 2 of lesson 29 «Sarcasm and tone of voice» 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/29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice/#e2).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice:e2:1
# text = Identify the principal reason for which sarcasm is frequently misapprehended in written text messages.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	principal	principal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	which	which	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	10	obl	_	_
7	sarcasm	sarcasm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
9	frequently	frequently	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	misapprehended	misapprehend	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	acl:relcl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
12	written	write	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	14	amod	_	_
13	text	text	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	compound	_	_
14	messages	message	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	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 principal reason |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent reason=Theme |
| 2 | **misapprehend** | present · passive |  | sarcasm |  | written text messages |  | for the principal reason; frequently *property* | vn comprehend-87.2 «NP V NP»: subject=Stimulus |
| 3 | **write** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The absence of vocal tone and facial expression

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice:e2:o1:1
# text = The absence of vocal tone and facial expression
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	absence	absence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	vocal	vocal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	tone	tone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
7	facial	facial	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	expression	expression	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **absent** |  |  | vocal tone and facial expression |  |  |  |  | nom absence «state transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The prohibition of punctuation in such messages

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice:e2:o2:1
# text = The prohibition of punctuation in such messages
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	prohibition	prohibition	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	punctuation	punctuation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	messages	message	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **prohibit** |  |  | punctuation |  | such messages |  |  | nom prohibition «communication transitive»: of=patient in=place |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The excessive length of such messages

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice:e2:o3:1
# text = The excessive length of such messages
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	excessive	excessive	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	length	length	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	messages	message	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The use of capital letters at the start of sentences

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice:e2:o4:1
# text = The use of capital letters at the start of sentences
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	capital	capital	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	letters	letter	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	start	start	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	sentences	sentence	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** |  |  | capital letters at the start of sentences |  |  |  |  | nom use «act transitive»: of=patient |
| 2 | **start** |  |  | sentences |  |  |  |  | nom start «event transitive»: of=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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- ← previous: [Sarcasm and tone of voice, exam 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice/e1/)
- next →: [Sarcasm and tone of voice, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice/e3/)
- ↑ back to [Sarcasm and tone of voice](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/29-sarcasm-and-tone-of-voice/)