---
title: Identify the device employed by the author in the line «because he t… — Alice's word games: puns, parodies and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the device employed by the author in the line «because he taught us», given in explanation of the name Tortoise. Exam question 1 of lesson 41 «Alice's word games: puns, parodies and nonsense» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the que
---

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# Exam question 1 · Alice's word games: puns, parodies and nonsense

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the device employed by the author in the line «because he taught us», given in explanation of the name Tortoise.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, he, name · **What happens:** identify, employ, teach, give, explain · **To what, where:** device, us, explanation

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 41 «Alice's word games: puns, parodies and nonsense» 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/41-alice-s-word-games-puns-parodies-and-nonsense/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:41-alice-s-word-games-puns-parodies-and-nonsense:e1:1
# text = Identify the device employed by the author in the line «because he taught us», given in explanation of the name Tortoise.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	device	device	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	author	author	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	line	line	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
11	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	14	mark	_	_
13	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	_
14	taught	teach	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
15	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
18	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	explanation	explanation	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obl	_	_
21	of	of	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
22	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
23	name	name	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	nmod	_	_
24	Tortoise	Tortoise	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	23	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	.	.	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 device |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent device=Theme |
| 2 | **employ** | participle |  | the device *not said here* |  |  |  | by the author in the line | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP to be NP»: agent=Agent clause=Attribute |
| 3 | **teach** *speech: other* *in a quote* | past | he |  | us |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent we=Recipient |
| 4 | **give** | participle |  | the device *not said here* |  | explanation of the name |  |  | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient |
| 5 | **explain** |  | the name |  |  |  |  |  | nom explanation «communication intransitive»: of=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 · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A pun founded upon two expressions of similar sound

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:41-alice-s-word-games-puns-parodies-and-nonsense:e1:o1:1
# text = A pun founded upon two expressions of similar sound
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	pun	pun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	founded	found	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	upon	upon	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	expressions	expression	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl:agent	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	similar	similar	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **found** | participle |  | a pun *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn establish-55.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A parody of a well-known instructional poem

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:41-alice-s-word-games-puns-parodies-and-nonsense:e1:o2:1
# text = A parody of a well-known instructional poem
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	parody	parody	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
5	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	7	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	known	know	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
8	instructional	instructional	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	poem	poem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **parody** |  |  | a known instructional poem |  |  |  |  | nom parody «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A proverb altered for the purpose of satire

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:41-alice-s-word-games-puns-parodies-and-nonsense:e1:o3:1
# text = A proverb altered for the purpose of satire
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	proverb	proverb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	altered	alter	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	purpose	purpose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	satire	satire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **alter** | participle |  | a proverb *not said here* |  |  |  | for the purpose of satire | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **purpose** |  | satire |  |  |  |  |  | nom purpose «cognition intransitive»: of=agent |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A riddle constructed so as to admit no answer whatsoever

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:41-alice-s-word-games-puns-parodies-and-nonsense:e1:o4:1
# text = A riddle constructed so as to admit no answer whatsoever
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	riddle	riddle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	constructed	construct	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	acl	_	_
4	so	so	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	admit	admit	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
8	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	9	det	_	_
9	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
10	whatsoever	whatsoever	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **construct** | participle |  | a riddle *not said here* |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **admit** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  | no answer |  |  |  | whatsoever *property* | vn admit-64.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent answer=Theme |

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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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- ↑ back to [Alice's word games: puns, parodies and nonsense](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/41-alice-s-word-games-puns-parodies-and-nonsense/)