---
title: ★ A storm, trees bending, and a Scot says «a wee bit dreich». A tour… — A bit nippy and not ideal: British und… · tree and pragmatics
description: ★ A storm, trees bending, and a Scot says «a wee bit dreich». A tourist from Spain thinks the ferry will sail. How could the tourist find out for sure? Test 6 · ★ 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 6 · ★ · A bit nippy and not ideal: British understatement

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
★ A storm, trees bending, and a Scot says «a wee bit dreich». A tourist from Spain thinks the ferry will sail. How could the tourist find out for sure?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** you, trees, Scot, tourist, ferry · **What happens:** ★, bend, say, think, sail, find out · **To what, where:** storm · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 6 · ★ 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/#t6).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* ★ A storm, trees bending, and a Scot says «a wee bit dreich».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t6:1
# text = ★ A storm, trees bending, and a Scot says «a wee bit dreich».
1	★	★	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	storm	storm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	appos	_	_
6	bending	bend	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	acl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	Scot	Scot	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
11	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
12	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
14	wee	wee	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	amod	_	_
15	bit	bit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	16	compound	_	_
16	dreich	dreich	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	16	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **★** | imperative | you *not said here* | a storm |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **bend** | gerund | trees *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a Scot |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=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.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* A tourist from Spain thinks the ferry will sail.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t6:2
# text = A tourist from Spain thinks the ferry will sail.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tourist	tourist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	from	from	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Spain	Spain	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	thinks	think	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	ferry	ferry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
8	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	9	aux	_	_
9	sail	sail	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **think** *speech: other* | present | a tourist from Spain |  |  |  |  |  | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **sail** | future | the ferry |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* How could the tourist find out for sure?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t6:3
# text = How could the tourist find out for sure?
1	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	tourist	tourist	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	find	find	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
6	out	out	ADP	RP	_	5	compound:prt	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	sure	sure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **find out** | could | the tourist |  |  |  |  | for sure | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Trust «a wee bit», because it means the storm is small

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t6:o1:1
# text = Trust «a wee bit», because it means the storm is small
1	Trust	trust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
2	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	wee	wee	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	bit	bit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
9	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	parataxis	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	storm	storm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	ccomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | it |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is** | present | the storm |  |  |  |  | small *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Wait on the ferry ramp in the rain until it comes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t6:o2:1
# text = Wait on the ferry ramp in the rain until it comes
1	Wait	wait	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
2	on	on	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	ferry	ferry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	ramp	ramp	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	comes	come	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  | the ferry ramp in the rain |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on ramp=Location |
| 2 | **come** | present | rain |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Check the notice board at the ferry for the real news

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t6:o3:1
# text = Check the notice board at the ferry for the real news
1	Check	check	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	notice	notice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
4	board	board	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	ferry	ferry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
8	for	for	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	news	news	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **check** | imperative | you *not said here* | the notice board |  | the ferry |  | for the real news | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent board=Theme for news=Attribute |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ask the woman to say it again more slowly

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement:t6:o4:1
# text = Ask the woman to say it again more slowly
1	Ask	ask	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	say	say	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	ccomp	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	again	again	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
8	more	more	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	9	advmod	_	_
9	slowly	slowly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | imperative | you *not said here* |  | the woman |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP whether S\_INF»: agent=Agent woman=Recipient clause=Topic |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* *not said to happen* | to-infinitive |  | it |  |  | again | slowly *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent it=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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