---
title: On the motorway hard shoulder at night, your little brother wants to… — A bit nippy and not ideal: British und… · tree and pragmatics
description: On the motorway hard shoulder at night, your little brother wants to get out «cos Dad said it's not ideal, so it's not that bad». What do you tell him? Test 3 · ★ of lesson 49 «A bit nippy and not ideal: British understatement» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tre
---

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# Test 3 · ★ · A bit nippy and not ideal: British understatement

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
On the motorway hard shoulder at night, your little brother wants to get out «cos Dad said it's not ideal, so it's not that bad». What do you tell him?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** little brother, Dad, shoulder, you · **What happens:** want, get out, say, not be, tell · **To what, where:** hard shoulder, Dad · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★ of lesson 49 «A bit nippy and not ideal: British understatement» 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/49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* On the motorway hard shoulder at night, your little brother wants to get out «cos Dad said it's not ideal, so it's not that bad».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t3:1
# text = On the motorway hard shoulder at night, your little brother wants to get out «cos Dad said it's not ideal, so it's not that bad».
1	On	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
3	motorway	motorway	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl:unmarked	_	_
4	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	shoulder	shoulder	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obl	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
9	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
10	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	wants	want	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	xcomp	_	_
15	out	out	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
16	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	19	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	cos	cos	SCONJ	IN	_	19	mark	_	_
18	Dad	Dad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	19	nsubj	_	_
19	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	14	advcl	_	_
20	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	23	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	23	cop	_	_
22	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	23	advmod	_	_
23	ideal	ideal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	30	punct	_	_
25	so	so	ADV	RB	_	30	advmod	_	_
26	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	30	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	30	cop	_	_
28	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	30	advmod	_	_
29	that	that	ADV	RB	_	30	advmod	_	_
30	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
31	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	30	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
32	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **want** | present | your little brother |  |  | the hard shoulder at night |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 2 | **get out** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | your little brother *not said here* |  |  |  |  | out *property* | vn withdraw-82-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | past | Dad |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **not** **is** *in a quote* | present | shoulder |  |  |  |  | ideal *property* | tree rules |
| 5 | **not** **is** *in a quote* | present | shoulder |  |  |  |  | bad, that *property* | 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:* What do you tell him?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t3:2
# text = What do you tell him?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	iobj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | present · do-support | you |  | Dad |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent he=Recipient what=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
«Not ideal» here means really bad; stay put and do what the grown-ups say

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t3:o1:1
# text = «Not ideal» here means really bad; stay put and do what the grown-ups say
1	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
3	ideal	ideal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	here	here	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	advmod	_	_
6	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	really	really	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	10	punct	_	_
10	stay	stay	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	6	conj	_	_
11	put	put	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	10	xcomp	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
13	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	conj	_	_
14	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	19	obj	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
16	grown	grow	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	18	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	ups	up	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	19	nsubj	_	_
19	say	say	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | ideal |  |  |  |  | bad *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **stay** | infinitive | ideal *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **put** | infinitive | ideal *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn invest-13.5.4-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **do** | infinitive | ideal *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **grow** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 6 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | the grown ups |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He can get out, but only to play on the grass for a bit

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t3:o2:1
# text = He can get out, but only to play on the grass for a bit
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	out	out	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
6	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
7	only	only	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	play	play	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
10	on	on	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	grass	grass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
13	for	for	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	bit	bit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get out** | can | He |  |  |  |  | out *property* | vn withdraw-82-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **play** | to-infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  | the grass |  | for a bit | vn use-105.1 «NP V NP PP.predicate»: agent=Agent for bit=Eventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He should wait until the rain stops, then go for a walk

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t3:o3:1
# text = He should wait until the rain stops, then go for a walk
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	wait	wait	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	stops	stop	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	10	advmod	_	_
10	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
11	for	for	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	walk	walk	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | should | He |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **stop** | present | the rain |  |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |
| 3 | **go** | infinitive | He *not said here* |  |  |  | then | for a walk | vn help-72.1-2 «NP V PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent for walk=Beneficiary |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He is right, «not ideal» means everything is fine and safe, so he can get out

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t3:o4:1
# text = He is right, «not ideal» means everything is fine and safe, so he can get out
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	7	advmod	_	_
7	ideal	ideal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	7	punct	_	_
9	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
10	everything	everything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	12	nsubj	_	_
11	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	ccomp	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
14	safe	safe	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
16	so	so	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
17	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	19	nsubj	_	_
18	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	19	aux	_	_
19	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	_
20	out	out	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | He |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **mean** | present | ideal |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **is** | present | everything |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **be** |  | everything *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **get out** | can | he |  |  |  |  | out *property* | vn withdraw-82-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- 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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