--- title: White lies and kind silence — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «White lies and kind silence», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Sometimes the plain truth would hurt someone and a big lie would not be honest. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/) [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/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/) / White lies and kind silence # White lies and kind silence Lesson 196 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 25 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/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/0/) — Sometimes the plain truth would hurt someone and a big lie would not be honest. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/1/) — There is a third way: find something TRUE and kind to say, or kindly say nothing at all. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/2/) — Example: Grandma knits you a jumper you do not like and asks if you like it. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/3/) — You can say «Thank you, it's so cosy, and you remembered my favourite colour!» Every word is true, and Grandma feels thanked for her effort. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/4/) — Not every opinion has to be said. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/5/) — Keeping quiet about a haircut or a lunch you would not choose is not lying; it is good manners. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/7/) — Kind honesty matters most when someone will act on your answer: a friend about to sing at a talent show needs a gentle true tip, not a false «it's perfect». - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/8/) — And happy secrets, like a surprise party, are fine because they end soon and make someone glad. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/9/) — You can thank someone warmly for their thought and effort even when you do not like the gift. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/10/) — Finding something true and kind to say is better than both a hurtful truth and a big lie. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/11/) — Kind silence is not a lie; not every opinion needs to be said. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/12/) — Honest, gentle encouragement helps people improve and keeps your word trustworthy. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/13/) — When someone will act on your answer, a false «it's perfect» can lead them into embarrassment later. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/14/) — A comforting truth, like «It was not your fault», is the best kind of kindness. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/15/) — A surprise is a happy secret that ends soon and is meant to make someone glad. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/16/) — Keeping private things private is your right and is not lying. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/17/) — Families decide how to handle traditions like the tooth fairy or Father Christmas, so do not spoil them for younger children. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/18/) — Remarks about someone's food can make them ashamed, because food comes from different families and cultures. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/19/) — A harmless secret shared in trust, like a friend's crush, should be kept. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/20/) — Some people find their age or weight private, and it is polite not to press. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/21/) — When grown-ups call someone a «friend» in a special way, or say two people are «more than friends», they usually mean a boyfriend or girlfriend, a couple; that is their private business. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/22/) — A girl in Leeds told her friend her new haircut looked fine when the friend asked, even though she did not love it; the friend was happy, and nothing bad came of a kind word. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/23/) — A boy in Texas kept "kind silence" about a friend's cuts on her arm because she asked him to; she was hurting herself, and only when he told a teacher did she get help. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/24/) — Kind silence is fine for small things like gifts, but not for anything that could hurt someone. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/196-white-lies-and-kind-silence/25/) — If a friend is being hurt or hurting themselves, you tell a trusted adult even if they asked you not to. - ← previous: [Why people lie, and what is not a lie](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/195-why-people-lie/) - next →: [Lies that do real harm](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/197-harmful-lies/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)