--- title: Ascertain the function of the particle "吗" (ma) at the end of a Mand… — Mandarin compared with English · tree and pragmatics description: Ascertain the function of the particle "吗" (ma) at the end of a Mandarin sentence. Exam question 4 of lesson 34 «Mandarin compared with English» 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/34-mandarin-compared-with-english/e4/) [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/) / [Mandarin compared with English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/34-mandarin-compared-with-english/) / e4 # Exam question 4 · Mandarin compared with English Ascertain the function of the particle "吗" (ma) at the end of a Mandarin sentence. **Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you · **What happens:** ascertain · **To what, where:** function, end This is exam question 4 of lesson 34 «Mandarin compared with English» 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/34-mandarin-compared-with-english/#e4). ## The question {#question} ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:e4:1 # text = Ascertain the function of the particle "吗" (ma) at the end of a Mandarin sentence. 1 Ascertain ascertain VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 3 function function NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obj _ _ 4 of of ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 particle particle NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nmod _ _ 7 " " PUNCT `` _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 8 吗 吗 NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 9 " " PUNCT '' _ 8 punct _ _ 10 ( ( PUNCT -LRB- _ 11 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 ma ma NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 12 ) ) PUNCT -RRB- _ 11 punct _ _ 13 at at ADP IN _ 15 case _ _ 14 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 15 det _ _ 15 end end NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obl _ _ 16 of of ADP IN _ 19 case _ _ 17 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 19 det _ _ 18 Mandarin mandarin ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 19 amod _ _ 19 sentence sentence NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 20 . . PUNCT . _ 1 punct _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the function of the particle and 吗 | | | at the end of a Mandarin sentence | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent function=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 · ← Mova's choice {#o1} It marks the plural of nouns denoting persons and animals ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:e4:o1:1 # text = It marks the plural of nouns denoting persons and animals 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 marks mark VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 plural plural NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 5 of of ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 nouns noun NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 nmod _ _ 7 denoting denote VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 6 acl _ _ 8 persons person NOUN NNS Number=Plur 7 obj _ _ 9 and and CCONJ CC _ 10 cc _ _ 10 animals animal NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 conj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **mark** | present | It | the plural of nouns | | | | | vn image\_impression-25.1 «NP V NP.destination»: agent=Agent plural=Destination | | 2 | **denote** | gerund | nouns *not said here* | persons and animals | | | | | vn indicate-78 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot person=Topic | ### Option 2 {#o2} It denotes the past tense ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:e4:o2:1 # text = It denotes the past tense 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 denotes denote VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 past past ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 tense tense NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **denote** | present | It | the past tense | | | | | vn indicate-78 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot tense=Topic | ### Option 3 {#o3} It denotes the feminine gender ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:e4:o3:1 # text = It denotes the feminine gender 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 denotes denote VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 feminine feminine ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 gender gender NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **denote** | present | It | the feminine gender | | | | | vn indicate-78 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot gender=Topic | ### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4} It converts a statement into a yes/no question ```conllu # sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:e4:o4:1 # text = It converts a statement into a yes/no question 1 It it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 converts convert VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 statement statement NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obj _ _ 5 into into ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 6 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 7 yes/no yes/no NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 compound _ _ 8 question question NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 obl _ _ ``` | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **convert** | present | It | a statement | | | | into a yes/no question *result* | vn turn-26.6.1-1 «NP V NP.patient PP.result»: agent=Agent statement=Patient into question=Result | **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: [Mandarin compared with English, exam 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/34-mandarin-compared-with-english/e3/) - next →: [French compared with English, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/35-french-compared-with-english/t1/) - ↑ back to [Mandarin compared with English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/34-mandarin-compared-with-english/)