---
title: Identify the figure employed in the utterance «Oh brilliant, I LOVE… — Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement… · tree and pragmatics
description: Identify the figure employed in the utterance «Oh brilliant, I LOVE standing in the rain», made by a pupil detained at a bus stop in heavy rain. Exam question 1 of lesson 52 «Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree
---

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# Exam question 1 · Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Identify the figure employed in the utterance «Oh brilliant, I LOVE standing in the rain», made by a pupil detained at a bus stop in heavy rain.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, I · **What happens:** identify, employ, love, stand, make, detain · **To what, where:** figure, utterance, rain, pupil, bus stop · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is exam question 1 of lesson 52 «Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side» 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/52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e1:1
# text = Identify the figure employed in the utterance «Oh brilliant, I LOVE standing in the rain», made by a pupil detained at a bus stop in heavy rain.
1	Identify	identify	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	figure	figure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	employed	employ	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	utterance	utterance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	Oh	oh	INTJ	UH	_	10	discourse	_	_
10	brilliant	brilliant	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
13	LOVE	love	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	parataxis	_	_
14	standing	stand	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	13	xcomp	_	_
15	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
20	made	make	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	3	acl	_	_
21	by	by	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
22	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
23	pupil	pupil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	obl	_	_
24	detained	detain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	23	acl	_	_
25	at	at	ADP	IN	_	28	case	_	_
26	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	28	det	_	_
27	bus	bus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	compound	_	_
28	stop	stop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	obl	_	_
29	in	in	ADP	IN	_	31	case	_	_
30	heavy	heavy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	31	amod	_	_
31	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
32	.	.	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 figure |  |  |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent figure=Theme |
| 2 | **employ** | participle |  | the figure *not said here* |  | the utterance |  |  | vn hire-13.5.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **love** *in a quote* | present | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 4 | **stand** *not said to happen, in a quote* | gerund | I *not said here* |  |  | the rain |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent in rain=Location |
| 5 | **make** | participle |  | the figure *not said here* |  |  |  | by a pupil | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset |
| 6 | **detain** | participle |  | a pupil *not said here* |  | a bus stop |  | in heavy rain | vn confine-92 «NP V NP»: 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.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Understatement, the expressed meaning being a reduction of the truth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e1:o1:1
# text = Understatement, the expressed meaning being a reduction of the truth
1	Understatement	understatement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	expressed	express	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	conj	_	_
6	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	cop	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	reduction	reduction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **express** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | gerund | Understatement and the expressed meaning | a reduction |  |  |  | of the truth | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A literal declaration of preference

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e1:o2:1
# text = A literal declaration of preference
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	literal	literal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	declaration	declaration	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	preference	preference	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **declare** |  |  | preference |  |  |  |  | nom declaration «communication transitive»: of=patient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Hyperbole, the expressed meaning being an enlargement of the truth

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e1:o3:1
# text = Hyperbole, the expressed meaning being an enlargement of the truth
1	Hyperbole	hyperbole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	expressed	express	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	cop	_	_
7	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	enlargement	enlargement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	truth	truth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **express** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | gerund | the expressed meaning | a enlargement |  |  |  | of the truth | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sarcasm, the expressed meaning being the opposite of that intended

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:e1:o4:1
# text = Sarcasm, the expressed meaning being the opposite of that intended
1	Sarcasm	sarcasm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	expressed	express	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	_
6	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	cop	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	opposite	opposite	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	11	obl	_	_
11	intended	intend	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	8	acl:relcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **express** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn reflexive\_appearance-48.1.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** | gerund | the expressed meaning | the opposite |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **intend** | participle |  | the opposite *not said here* |  |  |  | of the opposite | vn intend-61.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: 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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