--- title: Sam is scared: fear is normal — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Sam is scared: fear is normal», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Every morning Sam's stomach goes tight at the corner where the Station Road boys wait by the bus shelter. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/) [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/) / Sam is scared: fear is normal # Sam is scared: fear is normal Lesson 366 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 28 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/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/0/) — Every morning Sam's stomach goes tight at the corner where the Station Road boys wait by the bus shelter. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/1/) — In the dinner queue Jake shouts at him, and Sam's heart thumps so hard that he drops his whole tray of beans. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/2/) — The beans go everywhere, Jake laughs, and Sam wishes the floor would swallow him up. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/3/) — Then Jake says «meet me at the gate after school». - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/4/) — All afternoon Sam stares at his book and cannot read a single word. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/5/) — That night he dreams he has to fight Jake in front of the whole school, in his pyjamas. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/6/) — On Monday he pretends to have a tummy ache so he won't have to walk past the rec (the park and playing field) where the big boys play. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/7/) — At tea Grandad says: «Being frightened means you're a coward, lad.» Dad puts his fork down. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/8/) — «No, it doesn't. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/9/) — I was scared stiff at school for a whole year. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/10/) — Fear is your body's alarm. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/11/) — Everybody has one. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/12/) — Brave people are scared too — they just choose what to do next.» - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/13/) — Sam remembers the swimming trip: he was the only boy who wouldn't do the cannonball off the high board, and he felt awful. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/14/) — But he also remembers the wasp on Lily's sandwich. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/15/) — He froze — and then quietly slid the sandwich away with a ruler. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/16/) — Scared and sensible at the same time. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/17/) — Dad grins: «That's my boy.» - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/18/) — Fear is a normal feeling that every person has, children and grown-ups alike. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/19/) — When we are scared the body gets ready for danger: the heart beats fast, breathing speeds up and the stomach can feel tight or sick. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/20/) — Fear can make it hard to think, read or sleep, and can bring bad dreams. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/21/) — Being frightened does not make someone a coward; courage means doing the right thing while feeling afraid. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/22/) — Pretending to be ill to avoid something only puts the problem off; it does not solve it. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/23/) — Telling a trusted grown-up about a fear that keeps coming back is the first step to solving it. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/24/) — Saying no to a risky dare, like a jump you are not ready for, is a sensible choice, not a weakness. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/25/) — A threat like «meet me at the gate» should be told to a teacher or parent the same day. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/26/) — Fear often feels much bigger at night and in dreams than it is in the daytime. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/366-sam-is-scared-fear-is-normal/27/) — Many adults remember being scared at school; talking about it helps children feel less alone. - ← previous: [Confession, prayer and making amends at church](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/365-confession-prayer-and-making-amends-at-church/) - next →: [Wimp, scaredy-cat and other labels](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/367-wimp-scaredy-cat-and-other-labels/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)