---
title: A worker on TV says, "Machines nicked our jobs." ("Nicked" means sto… — Unemployment: when jobs are lost · tree and pragmatics
description: A worker on TV says, "Machines nicked our jobs." ("Nicked" means stole.) A robot engineer says, "Machines made my job." What's the fair view? Test 4 · ★ of lesson 35 «Unemployment: when jobs are lost» of the money course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questi
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/money/35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost/t4/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Money](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/money/) / [Unemployment: when jobs are lost](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/money/35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost/) / t4

# Test 4 · ★ · Unemployment: when jobs are lost

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A worker on TV says, "Machines nicked our jobs." ("Nicked" means stole.) A robot engineer says, "Machines made my job." What's the fair view?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** worker, Machines, our, robot engineer, my, fair view · **What happens:** say, nick, job, mean, make, be · **To what, where:** jobs, stole, job · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★ of lesson 35 «Unemployment: when jobs are lost» 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/35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A worker on TV says, "Machines nicked our jobs."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:1
# text = A worker on TV says, "Machines nicked our jobs."
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	worker	worker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	on	on	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	TV	TV	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
5	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	Machines	machine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	nicked	nick	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	ccomp	_	_
10	our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	jobs	job	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a worker on TV |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **nick** *in a quote* | past | Machines | our jobs |  |  |  |  | vn carve-21.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent job=Patient |
| 3 | **job** *in a quote* |  | our |  |  |  |  |  | nom job «act intransitive»: poss=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:* ("Nicked" means stole.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:2
# text = ("Nicked" means stole.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	Nicked	nick	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	stole	stole	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **nick** *in a quote* | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn carve-21.2-1 «NP V ADVP-Middle»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **mean** | present |  | stole |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent stole=Topic |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* A robot engineer says, "Machines made my job."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:3
# text = A robot engineer says, "Machines made my job."
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	robot	robot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	engineer	engineer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	Machines	machine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
9	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	job	job	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a robot engineer |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **make** *in a quote* | past | Machines | my job |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset job=Product |
| 3 | **job** *in a quote* |  | my |  |  |  |  |  | nom job «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 4:* What's the fair view?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:4
# text = What's the fair view?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	fair	fair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	view	view	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Neither, robots don't exist in warehouses

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:o1:1
# text = Neither, robots don't exist in warehouses
1	Neither	neither	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	robots	robot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
4	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	exist	exist	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	warehouses	warehouse	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **exist** | present · do-support | robots |  |  | warehouses |  | neither *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in warehouse=Location |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Both are true for them; people argue about whether it balances out

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:o2:1
# text = Both are true for them; people argue about whether it balances out
1	Both	both	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	3	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	true	true	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
7	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
8	argue	argue	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
9	about	about	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
10	whether	whether	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
12	balances	balance	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
13	out	out	ADP	RP	_	12	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Both |  |  |  |  | for them *= they*; true *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **argue** *speech: disagree* | present | people |  |  |  |  |  | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **balance out** | present | it |  |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The engineer is lying, robots never create jobs

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:o3:1
# text = The engineer is lying, robots never create jobs
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	engineer	engineer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	lying	lie	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
6	robots	robot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	create	create	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
9	jobs	job	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lie** | present · progressive | the engineer |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **create** | present | robots | jobs |  |  |  |  | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent job=Result |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The worker is lying, robots never replace anyone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:money:35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost:t4:o4:1
# text = The worker is lying, robots never replace anyone
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	worker	worker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	lying	lie	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
6	robots	robot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nsubj	_	_
7	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
8	replace	replace	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
9	anyone	anyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	8	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lie** | present · progressive | the worker |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **replace** | present | robots | anyone |  |  |  |  | vn substitute-13.6.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme anyone=Co-Theme |

<!-- 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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Unemployment: when jobs are lost, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/money/35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost/t3/)
- next →: [Unemployment: when jobs are lost, test 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/money/35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost/t5/)
- ↑ back to [Unemployment: when jobs are lost](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/money/35-unemployment-when-jobs-are-lost/)