--- title: Borrowing without asking — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Borrowing without asking», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Noah in Melbourne took a toy from his cousin's house because his cousin had so many and he had few. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/) [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/) / Borrowing without asking # Borrowing without asking Lesson 339 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 24 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/339-borrowing-without-asking/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/0/) — Noah in Melbourne took a toy from his cousin's house because his cousin had so many and he had few. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/1/) — His aunt rang to ask if anyone had seen it, and Mum was embarrassed in front of her sister. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/2/) — Noah posted it back with a sorry letter he wrote himself. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/3/) — Having less does not make taking fair. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/4/) — He went to confession and felt clean and light. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/5/) — But a few weeks later, bored at the swap club, he slipped the rare card from the pile when nobody was looking. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/6/) — The owner noticed straight away and the club stopped for a week for everyone, because nobody felt safe to swap any more. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/7/) — Shame again, and a second confession. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/8/) — The priest did not scold him for coming back. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/9/) — He said everyone slips and forgiveness does not run out, but each time you must put it right, and habits change slowly. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/11/) — «Borrowing» without asking is still taking: Dad's charger taken to school and lost meant Dad's phone died at work and he missed a call. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/12/) — Asking first costs a few seconds; not asking can cost someone else a lot. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/13/) — And sometimes asking gets you more: the neighbour whose apples Noah took on a dare said, «Next time just ask», and gave him a whole bag. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/14/) — Taking something without asking is taking, even if you mean to give it back. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/15/) — Having less than someone else does not make taking from them fair. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/16/) — A library book must be signed out so the library knows where it is and others can borrow it. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/17/) — Coins thrown into a wishing fountain are usually collected for charity, so they still belong to someone. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/18/) — Fruit from a neighbour's tree belongs to the neighbour, even if a branch hangs over your fence. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/19/) — A swap means both people agree to it. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/20/) — If a grown-up says no to buying something, taking it anyway makes two wrongs, not one. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/21/) — When something has been taken from a shop, the fair way is to go back with a grown-up, give it back and say sorry yourself. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/22/) — People who have confessed can slip again; forgiveness does not run out, but each wrong must be put right. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/23/) — Habits change slowly: old habits come back when you are bored or with the same friends, so fewer bad influences and more good things to do help. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/339-borrowing-without-asking/24/) — When you lose something you borrowed, the fair thing is to say so and help replace it. - ← previous: [Sweets, change and a friend's toy](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/338-sweets-change-and-a-friends-toy/) - next →: [Copying and peeking in tests](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/340-copying-and-peeking-in-tests/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)