---
title: Ruby, from Liverpool: "A clock with one hand? How'd they know the mi… — Clocks before clocks: sundials, water… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ruby, from Liverpool: "A clock with one hand? How'd they know the minutes, la?" ("La" means lad or mate.) What's true? Test 9 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
---

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# Test 9 · Clocks before clocks: sundials, water clocks, candles and…

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ruby, from Liverpool: "A clock with one hand? How'd they know the minutes, la?" ("La" means lad or mate.) What's true?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** they, La · **What happens:** know, mean, be · **To what, where:** lad

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 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/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Ruby, from Liverpool: "A clock with one hand?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:1
# text = Ruby, from Liverpool: "A clock with one hand?
1	Ruby	Ruby	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	from	from	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	Liverpool	Liverpool	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	8	punct	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	clock	clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
9	with	with	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	11	nummod	_	_
11	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* How'd they know the minutes, la?"

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:2
# text = How'd they know the minutes, la?"
1	How	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	'd	'd	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
3	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	know	know	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	4	punct	_	_
8	la	la	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | present | they |  |  |  | minute |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* ("La" means lad or mate.)

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:3
# text = ("La" means lad or mate.)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	La	La	PROPN	NNP	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	lad	lad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	5	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 4:* What's true?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:4
# text = What's true?
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	true	true	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 |  |  |  |  |  | true *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The single hand showed only the minutes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:o1:1
# text = The single hand showed only the minutes
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	single	single	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	showed	show	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	only	only	ADV	RB	_	7	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | past | the single hand |  |  |  | minute |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Nobody had heard of hours back then

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:o2:1
# text = Nobody had heard of hours back then
1	Nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	3	nsubj	_	_
2	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	heard	hear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	hours	hour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
6	back	back	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
7	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hear back** | past · perfect | Nobody |  |  |  | then; hour |  | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V PP.stimulus»: agent=Experiencer |

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They didn't need exact minutes; "about half past" was fine

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:o3:1
# text = They didn't need exact minutes; "about half past" was fine
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
2	did	do	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	4	advmod	_	_
4	need	need	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	exact	exact	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	about	about	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	half	half	DET	PDT	NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac|PronType=Ind	11	det:predet	_	_
11	past	past	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
13	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|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 | **not** **need** | past · do-support | They |  |  |  | minute |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot |
| 2 | **is** | past | half past |  |  |  |  | fine *property* | tree rules |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
They kept a second clock just for minutes

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:122-clocks-before-clocks:t9:o4:1
# text = They kept a second clock just for minutes
1	They	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	kept	keep	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	second	second	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	5	amod	_	_
5	clock	clock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	just	just	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	minutes	minute	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **keep** | past | They | a second clock |  |  | minute |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent clock=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 -->

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