---
title: A Scouse mate: "Ben's football is dead bad, la, but he's sound on th… — Check the claim, not the person · tree and pragmatics
description: A Scouse mate: "Ben's football is dead bad, la, but he's sound on the Moon." Is he reasoning well? Test 3 of lesson 188 «Check the claim, not the person» of the world course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 3 · Check the claim, not the person

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A Scouse mate: "Ben's football is dead bad, la, but he's sound on the Moon." Is he reasoning well?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 2 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** Scouse mate, Ben · **What happens:** be, reason · **To what, where:** sound, Moon

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 3 of lesson 188 «Check the claim, not the person» 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/188-check-the-claim-not-the-person/#t3).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A Scouse mate: "Ben's football is dead bad, la, but he's sound on the Moon."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:t3:1
# text = A Scouse mate: "Ben's football is dead bad, la, but he's sound on the Moon."
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	Scouse	scouse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	11	punct	_	_
5	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	Ben	Ben	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	8	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	's	's	PART	POS	_	6	case	_	_
8	football	football	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
10	dead	dead	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
13	la	la	X	FW	_	11	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
15	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	18	cc	_	_
16	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	18	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
18	sound	sound	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	parataxis	_	_
19	on	on	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	Moon	Moon	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** *in a quote* | present | a Scouse mate |  |  |  |  | bad *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | Ben | sound |  | the Moon |  |  | 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:* Is he reasoning well?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:t3:2
# text = Is he reasoning well?
1	Is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	reasoning	reason	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reason** | present · progressive | Ben |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No; nobody knows what causes tides

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:t3:o1:1
# text = No; nobody knows what causes tides
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	nobody	nobody	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	4	nsubj	_	_
4	knows	know	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	6	nsubj	_	_
6	causes	cause	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	ccomp	_	_
7	tides	tide	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | present | nobody |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 2 | **cause** | present |  | tides |  |  |  |  | vn engender-27.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition tide=Patient |

### Option 2 · ✓ the right answer {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes; football has nothing to do with tides

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:t3:o2:1
# text = Yes; football has nothing to do with tides
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	4	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	1	punct	_	_
3	football	football	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	4	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	acl	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	tides	tide	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | football | nothing |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nothing=Patient |
| 2 | **do** | to-infinitive | football *not said here* | nothing *not said here* |  |  |  | with tides | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No; bad footballers know nothing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:t3:o3:1
# text = No; bad footballers know nothing
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	5	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
3	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	footballers	footballer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	know	know	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	5	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | present | bad footballers | nothing |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer nothing=Stimulus |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Yes, but only because Ben is his mate from school

```conllu
# sent_id = question:world:188-check-the-claim-not-the-person:t3:o4:1
# text = Yes, but only because Ben is his mate from school
1	Yes	yes	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Pos	9	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
4	only	only	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
5	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
6	Ben	Ben	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
9	mate	mate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	from	from	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	_
```

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

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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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