---
title: Uncle says, "Old coins are rubbish, chuck 'em." What's a better idea? — What money is and why people accept it · tree and pragmatics
description: Uncle says, "Old coins are rubbish, chuck 'em." What's a better idea? Test 11 of lesson 1 «What money is and why people accept it» of the money course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Test 11 · What money is and why people accept it

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Uncle says, "Old coins are rubbish, chuck 'em." What's a better idea?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 3 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Uncle, Old coins · **What happens:** say, be, chuck · **To what, where:** rubbish, 'em, better idea · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 11 of lesson 1 «What money is and why people accept it» of the money 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/money/1-what-money-is-and-why-people-accept-it/#t11).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Uncle says, "Old coins are rubbish, chuck 'em."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:1-what-money-is-and-why-people-accept-it:t11:1
# text = Uncle says, "Old coins are rubbish, chuck 'em."
1	Uncle	uncle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	Old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	coins	coin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	rubbish	rubbish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
10	chuck	chuck	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	ccomp	_	_
11	'em	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Uncle |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | Old coins | rubbish |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **chuck** *in a quote* | infinitive |  | 'em *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn throw-17.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Theme |

<!-- .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's a better idea?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:1-what-money-is-and-why-people-accept-it:t11:2
# text = What's a better idea?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	5	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	better	good	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	amod	_	_
5	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Spend them anyway, shops must take any coin

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:1-what-money-is-and-why-people-accept-it:t11:o1:1
# text = Spend them anyway, shops must take any coin
1	Spend	spend	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	anyway	anyway	ADV	RB	_	1	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
5	shops	shop	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
6	must	must	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
7	take	take	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	1	conj	_	_
8	any	any	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	coin	coin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spend** | imperative | you *not said here* | them *= they* |  |  |  | anyway *property* | vn consume-66-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Asset |
| 2 | **take** | must | shops | any coin |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent coin=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Throw them in the river for luck

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:1-what-money-is-and-why-people-accept-it:t11:o2:1
# text = Throw them in the river for luck
1	Throw	throw	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	river	river	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	luck	luck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **throw** | imperative | you *not said here* | them *= they* |  | the river |  | for luck | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.destinations»: agent=Agent they=Theme in river=Destination |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ask a bank about swapping them, or keep rare ones for collectors

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:1-what-money-is-and-why-people-accept-it:t11:o3:1
# text = Ask a bank about swapping them, or keep rare ones for collectors
1	Ask	ask	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	bank	bank	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	about	about	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	swapping	swap	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	1	advcl	_	_
6	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	keep	keep	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	1	conj	_	_
10	rare	rare	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	ones	one	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	_
12	for	for	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	collectors	collector	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | imperative | you *not said here* | a bank |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent bank=Recipient |
| 2 | **swap** | gerund | you *not said here* | them *= they* |  |  |  |  | vn exchange-13.6.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Theme |
| 3 | **keep** | infinitive | you *not said here* | rare ones |  |  |  | for collectors | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent one=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Melt them into new coins at home

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:1-what-money-is-and-why-people-accept-it:t11:o4:1
# text = Melt them into new coins at home
1	Melt	melt	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	1	obj	_	_
3	into	into	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	coins	coin	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	1	obl	_	_
6	at	at	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	home	home	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **melt** | imperative | you *not said here* | them *= they* |  | new coins |  | at home | vn knead-26.5 «NP V NP.material PP.product»: agent=Agent they=Material into coin=Product |

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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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