--- title: Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, part 1: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (painting the roses red) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, part 1: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (painting the roses red)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Just inside the garden, three gardeners shaped like playing cards are paintin --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/) / Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, par… # Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, part 1: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (painting the roses red) Lesson 15 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 30 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/0/) — Just inside the garden, three gardeners shaped like playing cards are painting white roses red. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/1/) — They squabble and blame each other, and one of them, Two, explains to Alice in a whisper: they planted a white rose-tree by mistake instead of a red one, and if the Queen finds out, they will all lose their heads. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/2/) — Then «The Queen! - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/3/) — The Queen!» — the gardeners throw themselves flat on their faces, and a grand procession marches in: ten soldiers with clubs, ten courtiers with diamonds, ten royal children with hearts, the guests (the White Rabbit among them), the Knave of Hearts carrying the crown on a cushion, and last of all the King and Queen of Hearts. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/4/) — Alice stays standing, because what is the use of a procession if everyone lies on their faces? - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/5/) — The Queen asks her name; Alice answers very politely, but thinks to herself, «they're only a pack of cards, after all». - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/6/) — When the Queen screams «Off with her head!», Alice says «Nonsense!» loudly, and the Queen goes quiet. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/7/) — The Queen sees the half-painted roses and orders the gardeners' heads off. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/8/) — Alice quickly hides them in a big flower-pot; the soldiers can't find them and simply report «Their heads are gone». - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/9/) — The Queen asks Alice if she can play croquet: «Yes!» - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/10/) — Walking along, the nervous White Rabbit whispers that the Duchess is under sentence of execution for boxing the Queen's ears, and Alice gives a little scream of laughter. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/11/) — Then the game begins, and it is the strangest croquet ever: live hedgehogs for balls, live flamingoes for mallets, and soldiers bent double for the arches. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/12/) — The garden has a large rose-tree with white roses, and three gardeners are «busily painting them red». - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/13/) — The gardeners are called Two, Five and Seven, like the numbers on playing cards. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/14/) — Five splashes paint on Two and blames Seven, who «jogged my elbow»; Seven answers «Always lay the blame on others!» - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/16/) — Two explains: «this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake»; «afore she comes» is old country talk for before she comes. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/17/) — The procession: ten soldiers carrying clubs, ten courtiers ornamented with diamonds, ten royal children ornamented with hearts, «jumping merrily along hand in hand, in couples», the guests, the Knave of Hearts with the King's crown on a crimson velvet cushion, and last the King and Queen of Hearts. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/18/) — Alice does not lie down, because «what would be the use of a procession» if nobody could see it? - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/19/) — «My name is Alice, so please your Majesty» is the old polite way to speak to a queen; to herself she says «they're only a pack of cards, after all. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/20/) — I needn't be afraid of them!» - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/21/) — The gardeners lie face down, and their backs have the same pattern as the rest of the pack, so the Queen can't tell who they are. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/22/) — Alice answers «How should I know? - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/23/) — It's no business of mine», «surprised at her own courage»; the Queen turns crimson and screams «Off with her head!»; Alice says «Nonsense!» and the Queen is silent. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/25/) — Told to get up, the gardeners keep bowing to everybody, and the Queen screams «Leave off that! - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/26/) — You make me giddy.» - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/27/) — The Queen orders «Off with their heads!», and the procession moves on, with three of the soldiers staying behind to execute the gardeners; Alice says «You shan't be beheaded!» (shan't = shall not) and hides them in a large flower-pot. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/29/) — The White Rabbit whispers that the Duchess is «under sentence of execution»; Alice asks «What for?», and when the Rabbit asks «Did you say 'What a pity!'?», she says she doesn't think it's at all a pity; the reason is «She boxed the Queen's ears» (boxed someone's ears = hit them on the side of the head), and Alice gives a little scream of laughter, so the Rabbit whispers «Oh, hush! - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/30/) — The Queen will hear you!» - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/31/) — The croquet-ground is «all ridges and furrows» (bumps and dips); the balls are live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the arches are soldiers bent double. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/32/) — Talk in this lesson: «lush» (Wales) = lovely; «proper job» (West Country) = well done; «it's giving» = it looks like, it's showing off; «yeah nah» (Australia, NZ) = no. - ← previous: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter VII, part 2: A Mad Tea-Party (the treacle-well and the garden at last)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/14-alice-a-mad-tea-party-2/) - next →: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, part 2: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (a head without a body)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)