---
title: A pirate cartoon shows the captain ringing "8 bells" because it's 8… — Clocks before clocks: sundials, water… · tree and pragmatics
description: A pirate cartoon shows the captain ringing "8 bells" because it's 8 o'clock. What did 8 bells really mean? Test 7 of lesson 122 «Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and hourglasses» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the questio
---

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# Test 7 · Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A pirate cartoon shows the captain ringing "8 bells" because it's 8 o'clock. What did 8 bells really mean?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** pirate cartoon, captain, cartoon, 8 bells · **What happens:** show, ring, be, mean · **To what, where:** captain, 8 bells, 8 o'clock

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 7 of lesson 122 «Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and hourglasses» of the world 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/world/122-clocks-before-clocks/#t7).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A pirate cartoon shows the captain ringing "8 bells" because it's 8 o'clock.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t7:1
# text = A pirate cartoon shows the captain ringing "8 bells" because it's 8 o'clock.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	pirate	pirate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	shows	show	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	captain	captain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	ringing	ring	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	acl	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	10	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	8	8	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	nummod	_	_
10	bells	bell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	10	punct	_	_
12	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	16	mark	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
15	8	8	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	16	nummod	_	_
16	o'clock	o'clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | a pirate cartoon | the captain |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent captain=Recipient |
| 2 | **ring** | gerund | the captain *not said here* | 8 bells |  |  |  |  | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location bell=Theme |
| 3 | **is a** | present | cartoon | 8 o'clock |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .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 did 8 bells really mean?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t7:2
# text = What did 8 bells really mean?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	6	obj	_	_
2	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
3	8	8	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
4	bells	bell	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	really	really	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | past · do-support | 8 bells |  |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was exactly eight o'clock in the morning on the ship

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t7:o1:1
# text = It was exactly eight o'clock in the morning on the ship
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	exactly	exactly	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	eight	eight	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	5	nummod	_	_
5	o'clock	o'clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	morning	morning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
9	on	on	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	ship	ship	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | past | It | eight o'clock |  | the ship | morning | exactly *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Eight enemy ships had just been spotted on the horizon

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t7:o2:1
# text = Eight enemy ships had just been spotted on the horizon
1	Eight	eight	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	3	nummod	_	_
2	enemy	enemy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	ships	ship	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	aux	_	_
5	just	just	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	been	be	AUX	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	7	aux:pass	_	_
7	spotted	spot	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	horizon	horizon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spot** | past · perfect · passive |  | Eight enemy ships |  | the horizon |  |  | vn fill-9.8-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Destination |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
8 half-hours had passed: the end of a 4-hour watch

<!-- fold The tree, 12 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t7:o3:1
# text = 8 half-hours had passed: the end of a 4-hour watch
1	8	8	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	4	nummod	_	_
2	half	half	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing|NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac	4	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	hours	hour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	_
6	passed	pass	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
11	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
12	4	4	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	14	nummod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	12	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	hour	hour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	compound	_	_
15	watch	watch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **pass** | past · perfect · passive |  | 8 half hours |  |  | the end of a hour watch |  | vn escape-51.1-1-3 «NP V NP»: subject=Trajectory |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Eight sailors were needed up on deck to help straight away

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t7:o4:1
# text = Eight sailors were needed up on deck to help straight away
1	Eight	eight	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nummod	_	_
2	sailors	sailor	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	needed	need	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	up	up	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	deck	deck	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	help	help	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	advcl	_	_
10	straight	straight	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	away	away	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **need up** | past · passive |  | Eight sailors |  | deck |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **help** | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | away *property* | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: 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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