---
title: Ava: "Phones are bad because they're bad. Wow. Somebody write that d… — "Because I said so" and other dead-end… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ava: "Phones are bad because they're bad. Wow. Somebody write that down, it's science." What is she mocking? Test 2 of lesson 163 «"Because I said so" and other dead-end reasons» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option;
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons/t2/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/) / ["Because I said so" and other dead-end…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons/) / t2

# Test 2 · "Because I said so" and other dead-end reasons

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ava: "Phones are bad because they're bad. Wow. Somebody write that down, it's science." What is she mocking?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Phones, Somebody, it, Ava · **What happens:** be, write down, mock · **To what, where:** that, science

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 2 of lesson 163 «"Because I said so" and other dead-end reasons» 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/163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons/#t2).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Ava: "Phones are bad because they're bad.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:1
# text = Ava: "Phones are bad because they're bad.
1	Ava	Ava	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	6	punct	_	_
3	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	Phones	phone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
5	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	amod	_	_
7	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *in a quote* | present | Phones |  |  |  |  | bad *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** *in a quote* | present | Phones *= phone* |  |  |  |  | bad *property* | 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:* Wow.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:2
# text = Wow.
1	Wow	wow	INTJ	UH	_	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

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

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 3:* Somebody write that down, it's science."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:3
# text = Somebody write that down, it's science."
1	Somebody	somebody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	nsubj	_	_
2	write	write	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
3	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	2	obj	_	_
4	down	down	ADP	RP	_	2	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	cop	_	_
8	science	science	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write down** | infinitive | Somebody | that |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent that=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | present | it | science |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 4:* What is she mocking?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:4
# text = What is she mocking?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	mocking	mock	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mock** | present · progressive | Ava |  |  |  |  |  | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Theme |

## The options {#options}

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

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The circle of saying the answer as the reason

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:o1:1
# text = The circle of saying the answer as the reason
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	circle	circle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	4	mark	_	_
4	saying	say	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	answer	answer	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	as	as	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	reason	reason	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | gerund | the circle *not said here* | the answer |  |  |  | as the reason | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent answer=Topic |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Science lessons at school

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:o2:1
# text = Science lessons at school
1	Science	science	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	lessons	lesson	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	at	at	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
```

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

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
People who write things down instead of remembering them in their heads

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:o3:1
# text = People who write things down instead of remembering them in their heads
1	People	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
2	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	3	nsubj	_	_
3	write	write	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	acl:relcl	_	_
4	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	down	down	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
6	instead	instead	ADV	RB	ExtPos=SCONJ	8	mark	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	fixed	_	_
8	remembering	remember	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
9	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	obj	_	_
10	in	in	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	heads	head	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **write down** | present | People | things |  |  |  |  | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thing=Theme |
| 2 | **remember** | gerund | People *not said here* | things *= thing* |  | things's heads |  |  | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent they=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Her dad for not owning a phone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons:t2:o4:1
# text = Her dad for not owning a phone
1	Her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	dad	dad	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
3	for	for	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
4	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	5	advmod	_	_
5	owning	own	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	2	acl	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	phone	phone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **own** | gerund | Her dad *not said here* | a phone |  |  |  |  | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot phone=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 -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: ["Because I said so" and other dead-end…, test 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons/t1/)
- next →: ["Because I said so" and other dead-end…, test 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons/t3/)
- ↑ back to ["Because I said so" and other dead-end reasons](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/world/163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons/)