---
title: Theo yells «the WHOLE HOUSE is burnt!» Should you call the fire brig… — Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement… · tree and pragmatics
description: Theo yells «the WHOLE HOUSE is burnt!» Should you call the fire brigade? Test 3 · ★★ of lesson 52 «Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 3 · ★★ · Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Theo yells «the WHOLE HOUSE is burnt!» Should you call the fire brigade?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Theo, you · **What happens:** yell, burnt, call · **To what, where:** WHOLE HOUSE, fire brigade · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 · ★★ of lesson 52 «Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side» 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/52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Theo yells «the WHOLE HOUSE is burnt!»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:t3:1
# text = Theo yells «the WHOLE HOUSE is burnt!»
1	Theo	Theo	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	yells	yell	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	WHOLE	whole	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	HOUSE	house	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	burnt	burnt	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **yell** *speech: express* | present | Theo |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **burnt** *in a quote* | present · passive |  | the WHOLE HOUSE |  |  |  |  | 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:* Should you call the fire brigade?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:t3:2
# text = Should you call the fire brigade?
1	Should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
2	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	call	call	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	compound	_	_
6	brigade	brigade	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | should | you | the fire brigade |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent brigade=Recipient |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, every single time anyone shouts about something burning in the house

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:t3:o1:1
# text = Yes, every single time anyone shouts about something burning in the house
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	7	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	5	det	_	_
4	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl:unmarked	_	_
6	anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	nsubj	_	_
7	shouts	shout	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	about	about	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	7	obl	_	_
10	burning	burn	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	acl	_	_
11	in	in	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	house	house	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **shout** *speech: express* | present | anyone |  |  |  | time | about something | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent about something=Topic |
| 2 | **burn** | gerund |  |  |  | the house |  |  | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in house=Location |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Not for one burnt piece of toast, but yes if there were real flames

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:t3:o2:1
# text = Not for one burnt piece of toast, but yes if there were real flames
1	Not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
2	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
3	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
4	burnt	burnt	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	piece	piece	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	toast	toast	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
9	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
10	yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	13	discourse	_	_
11	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
12	there	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	13	expl	_	_
13	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
14	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	flames	flame	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past |  | real flames |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Never, because it's always hyperbole

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:t3:o3:1
# text = Never, because it's always hyperbole
1	Never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	7	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
4	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	7	advmod	_	_
7	hyperbole	hyperbole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is a** | present | it | hyperbole |  |  |  | always *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Only if Dad says «slightly well done»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side:t3:o4:1
# text = Only if Dad says «slightly well done»
1	Only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
2	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
3	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	slightly	slightly	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
7	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	8	advmod	_	_
8	done	do	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Dad |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **do** *in a quote* | participle |  |  |  |  |  | slightly, well *property* | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

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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 [Sarcasm, hyperbole and understatement side by side](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/language/52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side/)