---
title: Ethan's mate says, "they're just bantering, man, take a joke." ("Ban… — Picked on: freeze-outs, robberies and… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ethan's mate says, "they're just bantering, man, take a joke." ("Banter" means friendly teasing.) What's the best answer? Test 1 · ★ of lesson 19 «Picked on: freeze-outs, robberies and standing up» of the reflection course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the ques
---

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# Test 1 · ★ · Picked on: freeze-outs, robberies and standing up

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ethan's mate says, "they're just bantering, man, take a joke." ("Banter" means friendly teasing.) What's the best answer?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** mate, they, Banter, best answer · **What happens:** say, banter, take, mean, be · **To what, where:** man, joke, friendly teasing · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is test 1 · ★ of lesson 19 «Picked on: freeze-outs, robberies and standing up» of the reflection 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/reflection/19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up/#t1).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Ethan's mate says, "they're just bantering, man, take a joke."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up:t1:1
# text = Ethan's mate says, "they're just bantering, man, take a joke."
1	Ethan	Ethan	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	mate	mate	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	,	_	10	punct	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
9	just	just	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	bantering	banter	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
14	take	take	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	ccomp	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	joke	joke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Ethan's mate |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **banter** *in a quote* | present · progressive | they | man |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **take** *in a quote* | infinitive |  | a joke |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent joke=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:* ("Banter" means friendly teasing.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up:t1:2
# text = ("Banter" means friendly teasing.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	Banter	banter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	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	friendly	friendly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	teasing	teasing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Banter | friendly teasing |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent teasing=Topic |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* What's the best answer?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up:t1:3
# text = What's the best answer?
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	best	good	ADJ	JJS	Degree=Sup	5	amod	_	_
5	answer	answer	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 best answer |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He's right, all teasing is friendly banter

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up:t1:o1:1
# text = He's right, all teasing is friendly banter
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
5	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	6	det	_	_
6	teasing	teasing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	friendly	friendly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	banter	banter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | He |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** | present | all teasing | friendly banter |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It only counts if a teacher hears it

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up:t1:o2:1
# text = It only counts if a teacher hears it
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	counts	count	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	teacher	teacher	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	hears	hear	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **count** | present | It |  |  |  |  |  | vn matter-91 «NP V»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **hear** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | a teacher | it |  |  |  |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ethan should laugh along to make it a joke

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up:t1:o3:1
# text = Ethan should laugh along to make it a joke
1	Ethan	Ethan	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	laugh	laugh	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	along	along	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	make	make	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	joke	joke	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **laugh** | should | Ethan |  |  |  |  | along *property* | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **make** | to-infinitive | Ethan *not said here* | it |  |  |  |  | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP NP»: agent=Asset it=Beneficiary joke=Product |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It's not banter if only one side is laughing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:reflection:19-picked-on-freeze-outs-robberies-and-standing-up:t1:o4:1
# text = It's not banter if only one side is laughing
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	banter	banter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
6	only	only	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
7	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	8	nummod	_	_
8	side	side	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	laughing	laugh	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is a** | present | It | banter |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **laugh** *a condition, not said to happen* | present · progressive | one side |  |  |  |  |  | vn nonverbal\_expression-40.2 «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.

<!-- /div -->

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