---
title: Kate's brother says, "Just wait till Christmas, then I'll tell Dad."… — Good secrets and bad secrets · tree and pragmatics
description: Kate's brother says, "Just wait till Christmas, then I'll tell Dad." It's March. What's wrong? Test 8 · ★★ of lesson 87 «Good secrets and bad secrets» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was
---

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# Test 8 · ★★ · Good secrets and bad secrets

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Kate's brother says, "Just wait till Christmas, then I'll tell Dad." It's March. What's wrong?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 2 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** brother, It · **What happens:** say, wait, tell, be · **To what, where:** Dad, March · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★★ of lesson 87 «Good secrets and bad secrets» 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/87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets/#t8).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Kate's brother says, "Just wait till Christmas, then I'll tell Dad."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets:t8:1
# text = Kate's brother says, "Just wait till Christmas, then I'll tell Dad."
1	Kate	Kate	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	's	PART	POS	_	1	case	_	_
3	brother	brother	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	Just	just	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	wait	wait	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	ccomp	_	_
9	till	till	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	Christmas	Christmas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	15	advmod	_	_
13	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	'll	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	15	aux	_	_
15	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	8	conj	_	_
16	Dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Kate's brother |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **wait** *in a quote* | infinitive |  |  |  |  | till Christmas |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **tell** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | future | Kate's brother *= brother* |  | Dad |  | then |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent dad=Recipient |

<!-- .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:* It's March.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets:t8:2
# text = It's March.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|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	March	March	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* What's wrong?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets:t8:3
# text = What's wrong?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

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

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nothing; Christmas is a lovely time to own up, so waiting is fine

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets:t8:o1:1
# text = Nothing; Christmas is a lovely time to own up, so waiting is fine
1	Nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	7	punct	_	_
3	Christmas	Christmas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	lovely	lovely	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	time	time	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	own	own	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	acl	_	_
10	up	up	ADP	RP	_	9	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
12	so	so	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
13	waiting	waiting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
14	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	15	cop	_	_
15	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Christmas | a lovely time |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **own up** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot |
| 3 | **is** | present | waiting |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 · ← Mova's choice {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He should tell Nan instead of Dad

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets:t8:o2:1
# text = He should tell Nan instead of Dad
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	Nan	Nan	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	iobj	_	_
5	instead	instead	ADV	RB	ExtPos=ADP	7	case	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	fixed	_	_
7	Dad	Dad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **tell** *speech: assert* | should | He |  | Nan |  |  | instead Dad | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent nan=Recipient |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He should wait till next Christmas instead

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets:t8:o3:1
# text = He should wait till next Christmas instead
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	should	should	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	wait	wait	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	till	till	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
5	next	next	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	Christmas	Christmas	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
7	instead	instead	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | should | He | next Christmas |  |  |  | instead, till *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A fair chance is short; months of hiding is not owning up

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets:t8:o4:1
# text = A fair chance is short; months of hiding is not owning up
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	fair	fair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	chance	chance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
5	short	short	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	12	punct	_	_
7	months	month	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	obl:unmarked	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	hiding	hiding	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	12	advmod	_	_
12	owning	own	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	parataxis	_	_
13	up	up	ADP	RP	_	12	compound:prt	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a fair chance |  |  |  |  | short *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **own up** | present · progressive |  |  |  |  | month |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot |

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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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Good secrets and bad secrets, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/religion-ethics/87-good-secrets-and-bad-secrets/t7/)
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