---
title: The vicar, speaking formally: «It is a grievous thing to lose a fait… — The old dog, the vet and the hardest g… · tree and pragmatics
description: The vicar, speaking formally: «It is a grievous thing to lose a faithful companion, and there is no shame in tears.» What does he mean? Test 9 · ★★ of lesson 56 «The old dog, the vet and the hardest goodbye» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmat
---

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# Test 9 · ★★ · The old dog, the vet and the hardest goodbye

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The vicar, speaking formally: «It is a grievous thing to lose a faithful companion, and there is no shame in tears.» What does he mean?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** vicar, shame · **What happens:** speak, be, lose, mean · **To what, where:** grievous thing, faithful companion · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★★ of lesson 56 «The old dog, the vet and the hardest goodbye» of the religion ethics 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/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* The vicar, speaking formally: «It is a grievous thing to lose a faithful companion, and there is no shame in tears.»

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye:t9:1
# text = The vicar, speaking formally: «It is a grievous thing to lose a faithful companion, and there is no shame in tears.»
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	vicar	vicar	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
4	speaking	speak	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
5	formally	formally	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
7	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
10	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
11	grievous	grievous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	thing	thing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	lose	lose	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	acl	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	faithful	faithful	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	17	amod	_	_
17	companion	companion	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	21	punct	_	_
19	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	21	cc	_	_
20	there	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	21	expl	_	_
21	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	parataxis	_	_
22	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	23	det	_	_
23	shame	shame	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nsubj	_	_
24	in	in	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
25	tears	tear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	23	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
26	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	12	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **speak** *speech: other* | gerund | the vicar *not said here* |  |  |  |  | formally *property* | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | the vicar | a grievous thing |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **lose** *in a quote* | to-infinitive |  | a faithful companion |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent companion=Eventuality |
| 4 | **be** *in a quote* | present | no shame in tears |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=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 does he mean?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye:t9:2
# text = What does he mean?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is very sad to lose a loyal pet, and crying is fine

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye:t9:o1:1
# text = It is very sad to lose a loyal pet, and crying is fine
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	very	very	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	sad	sad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	lose	lose	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	xcomp	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	loyal	loyal	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	pet	pet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
12	crying	cry	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	14	nsubj	_	_
13	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | It |  |  |  |  | sad *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **lose** | to-infinitive |  | a loyal pet |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent pet=Eventuality |
| 3 | **cry** *speech: express* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Crying in church is forbidden, even at a very sad service

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye:t9:o2:1
# text = Crying in church is forbidden, even at a very sad service
1	Crying	cry	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	csubj:pass	_	_
2	in	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
3	church	church	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obl	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	forbidden	forbid	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
7	even	even	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
10	very	very	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	sad	sad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	service	service	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **cry** *speech: express* | gerund |  |  |  | church |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in church=Location |
| 2 | **forbid** | present · passive | Crying |  |  |  |  |  | vn forbid-64.4-1 «NP V S\_ING» |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
People should always hide their tears from everyone else

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye:t9:o3:1
# text = People should always hide their tears from everyone else
1	People	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	4	advmod	_	_
4	hide	hide	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	tears	tear	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	_
7	from	from	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	everyone	everyone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Tot	4	obl	_	_
9	else	else	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hide** | should | People | People's tears |  | everyone |  | always *property* | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent tear=Patient from everyone=Beneficiary |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Pets are not really worth crying about, so dry your eyes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye:t9:o4:1
# text = Pets are not really worth crying about, so dry your eyes
1	Pets	pet	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
4	really	really	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	worth	worth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	crying	cry	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	5	csubj	_	_
7	about	about	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
9	so	so	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	dry	dry	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	conj	_	_
11	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **is** | present | Pets |  |  |  |  | worth *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **cry** *speech: express* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | about *property* | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **dry** | infinitive | Pets *not said here* | your eyes |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Patient eye=Result |

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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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