--- title: Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, part 2: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (a head without a body) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, part 2: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (a head without a body)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Croquet with live animals is hopeless. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/) [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 2: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (a head without a body) Lesson 16 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 23 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/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/0/) — Croquet with live animals is hopeless. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/1/) — Just as Alice gets her flamingo's neck straight, it twists round and looks up into her face so puzzled that she bursts out laughing; meanwhile her hedgehog uncurls and crawls away, and the soldier-arches keep getting up and wandering off. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/2/) — Everyone plays at once, quarrelling and fighting over the hedgehogs, and the Queen stamps about shouting «Off with his head!» or «Off with her head!» about once a minute. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/3/) — Alice starts to feel uneasy: what will happen to her when it's her turn to annoy the Queen? - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/4/) — Then a grin appears in the air: the Cheshire Cat. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/5/) — Bit by bit its eyes and its head appear, and Alice tells it all her complaints. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/6/) — When she notices the Queen listening behind her, she cleverly changes «she's so extremely—» into «—likely to win». - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/9/) — The executioner says you can't cut off a head without a body to cut it from; the King says anything with a head can be beheaded; the Queen threatens to execute everyone. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/10/) — Alice says the Cat belongs to the Duchess, so they fetch the Duchess from prison. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/12/) — Alice tucks her flamingo under her arm, but it twists round and looks up at her with «such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing». - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/14/) — «The players all played at once without waiting for turns, quarrelling all the while»; the Queen shouts «Off with his head!» about once a minute. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/16/) — The Cheshire Cat appears grin first; Alice waits until its eyes, and then at least one ear, appear before talking, because «It's no use speaking to it till its ears have come» (it could not hear her), and then the whole head appears, but no body. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/17/) — Alice complains: they don't play fairly, they quarrel, there seem to be no rules, and the next arch is «walking about at the other end of the ground». - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/18/) — «How do you like the Queen?» — «Not at all... she's so extremely—» — then, seeing the Queen behind her — «—likely to win, that it's hardly worth while finishing the game.» The Queen smiles and passes on. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/19/) — The King says the Cat may kiss his hand; the Cat answers «I'd rather not»; the King says «Don't be impertinent» (impertinent = cheeky, rude), and gets behind Alice as he speaks. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/21/) — «The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/22/) — "Off with his head!"», which she says about the Cat «without even looking round». - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/24/) — The executioner's argument: you can't cut off a head unless there is a body to cut it off from. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/25/) — The King's argument: anything that has a head can be beheaded. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/26/) — The Queen's argument: if nothing is done at once, she'll have everybody executed. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/27/) — Alice says «It belongs to the Duchess: you'd better ask her about it»; the Duchess is in prison, and the executioner goes off «like an arrow» to fetch her. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/28/) — The Cat's head fades away while he is gone; when he comes back with the Duchess, it has entirely disappeared. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/29/) — Talk in this lesson: «lowkey» = a bit, quietly; «salty» = cross and bitter; «wicked» (New England, USA) = very; «bostin'» (Black Country, England) = great; «our kid» (Manchester) = my brother or sister. - ← previous: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter VIII, part 1: The Queen's Croquet-Ground (painting the roses red)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/15-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-1/) - next →: [Alice in Wonderland, chapter IX, part 1: The Mock Turtle's Story (the Duchess and her morals)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/17-alice-the-mock-turtles-story-1/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)