---
title: In a cartoon a detective says "a clue is a ball of thread, obviously… — Words that changed their meaning · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon a detective says "a clue is a ball of thread, obviously." Could that ever have been right? Test 7 of lesson 38 «Words that changed their meaning» 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 wa
---

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# Test 7 · Words that changed their meaning

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon a detective says "a clue is a ball of thread, obviously." Could that ever have been right?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 2 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** detective, clue, that · **What happens:** say, be · **To what, where:** cartoon, ball · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 of lesson 38 «Words that changed their meaning» 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/38-words-that-changed-their-meaning/#t7).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon a detective says "a clue is a ball of thread, obviously."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:38-words-that-changed-their-meaning:t7:1
# text = In a cartoon a detective says "a clue is a ball of thread, obviously."
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	detective	detective	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	clue	clue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	ccomp	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
14	thread	thread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
16	obviously	obviously	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a detective |  |  | a cartoon |  | obviously *property* | vn pronounce-29.3.1 «NP V NP PP.manner»: agent=Agent in cartoon=Manner |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | a clue | a ball |  |  |  | of thread | tree rules |

<!-- .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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Could that ever have been right?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:38-words-that-changed-their-meaning:t7:2
# text = Could that ever have been right?
1	Could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
2	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
3	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	6	advmod	_	_
4	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
5	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	6	cop	_	_
6	right	right	ADV	RB	_	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | could · perfect | that |  |  |  | ever | right *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, a clue has always meant a footprint or fingerprint

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:38-words-that-changed-their-meaning:t7:o1:1
# text = No, a clue has always meant a footprint or fingerprint
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	clue	clue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
6	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	7	advmod	_	_
7	meant	mean	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	footprint	footprint	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	fingerprint	fingerprint	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present · perfect · passive |  | a clue |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, "clue" comes from "clew", a ball of thread

<!-- fold The tree, 9 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:38-words-that-changed-their-meaning:t7:o2:1
# text = Yes, "clue" comes from "clew", a ball of thread
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	clue	clue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
6	comes	come	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	clew	clew	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	ball	ball	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	appos	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	thread	thread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | present | clue |  |  | clew |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme from clew=Initial\_Location |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, "clue" was invented by detectives in 1900

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:38-words-that-changed-their-meaning:t7:o3:1
# text = No, "clue" was invented by detectives in 1900
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	clue	clue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj:pass	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	invented	invent	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	detectives	detective	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	1900	1900	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **invent** | past · passive | detectives | clue |  | 1900 |  |  | vn create-26.4-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Result |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, but only in the Welsh language

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:38-words-that-changed-their-meaning:t7:o4:1
# text = Yes, but only in the Welsh language
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	8	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	Welsh	welsh	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	language	language	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

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

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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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