---
title: «Dad said not in a million years so I'll ask again in a million year… — Which number counts? Hyperbole and rea… · tree and pragmatics
description: «Dad said not in a million years so I'll ask again in a million years innit» What did Dad really mean? Test 5 · ★★ of lesson 46 «Which number counts? Hyperbole and real numbers in maths» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of e
---

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# Test 5 · ★★ · Which number counts? Hyperbole and real numbers in maths

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Dad said not in a million years so I'll ask again in a million years innit» What did Dad really mean?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 1 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Dad, I · **What happens:** not say, ask, mean · **To what, where:** years innit · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 5 · ★★ of lesson 46 «Which number counts? Hyperbole and real numbers in maths» 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/46-which-number-counts-hyperbole-and-real-numbers-in-maths/#t5).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:46-which-number-counts-hyperbole-and-real-numbers-in-maths:t5:1
# text = «Dad said not in a million years so I'll ask again in a million years innit» What did Dad really mean?
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	million	million	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
10	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	'll	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	ask	ask	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	ccomp	_	_
13	again	again	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	million	million	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	17	nummod	_	_
17	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	18	compound	_	_
18	innit	innit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
20	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	24	obj	_	_
21	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	24	aux	_	_
22	Dad	Dad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	24	nsubj	_	_
23	really	really	ADV	RB	_	24	advmod	_	_
24	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | past | Dad |  |  |  | year |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **ask** *speech: ask* *in a quote* | future | I | years innit |  |  | again |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **mean** | past · do-support | Dad |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

<!-- .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 -->
Never, or not any time soon: it's a clear no

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:46-which-number-counts-hyperbole-and-real-numbers-in-maths:t5:o1:1
# text = Never, or not any time soon: it's a clear no
1	Never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
5	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	6	det	_	_
6	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	soon	soon	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	13	punct	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	clear	clear	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	no	no	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | it | a clear no |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, but only as soon as a million years have passed

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:46-which-number-counts-hyperbole-and-real-numbers-in-maths:t5:o2:1
# text = Yes, but only as soon as a million years have passed
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	12	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
5	as	as	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	soon	soon	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	12	advmod	_	_
7	as	as	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	million	million	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
11	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
12	passed	pass	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass** | present · perfect |  |  |  |  |  | soon *property* | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only if you buy the snake yourself

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:46-which-number-counts-hyperbole-and-real-numbers-in-maths:t5:o3:1
# text = Only if you buy the snake yourself
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
2	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	buy	buy	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	snake	snake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	yourself	yourself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **buy** | present | you | the snake |  |  |  | yourself *obl* | vn accept-77.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent snake=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ask again tomorrow and he might say yes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:46-which-number-counts-hyperbole-and-real-numbers-in-maths:t5:o4:1
# text = Ask again tomorrow and he might say yes
1	Ask	ask	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	again	again	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	_
3	tomorrow	tomorrow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl:unmarked	_	_
4	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
5	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
6	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	conj	_	_
8	yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  | again; tomorrow |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | might | he |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent yes=Topic |

<!-- div src -->

**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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