--- title: Street gangs and loyalty — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Street gangs and loyalty», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Kieran's group told him that to «prove he was loyal» he had to throw a stone at a Station Road window. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/) [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/) / Street gangs and loyalty # Street gangs and loyalty Lesson 383 of the everyday 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/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/0/) — Kieran's group told him that to «prove he was loyal» he had to throw a stone at a Station Road window. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/1/) — He did it, the glass cracked, and a toddler inside screamed. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/3/) — Then he got told Sam was «not loyal» because Sam wouldn't come to the big fight, and he found himself saying it too, even though Sam had been his mate since nursery. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/4/) — The other street was no better. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/5/) — Older Station Road boys tried to recruit Jake because he was «a good fighter», calling him «little bro» and buying him chips. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/6/) — Lily's brother started hanging around with the same older group, coming home late and snapping at everyone. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/7/) — Meanwhile Maddie was told «you're Mill Lane, so you have to fight» when a Station Road girl insulted the street — as if a rude word about a road was something she had to bleed for. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/8/) — Then came the scuffle. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/9/) — A Station Road boy shoved Maddie so hard she fell on the kerb and split her lip. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/10/) — Nobody from the group walked her home; they were too busy planning the «final battle» at the rec. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/11/) — Maddie sat on her doorstep holding a tissue to her mouth and thought: «Loyal to what, exactly?» - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/12/) — Jake was the first to say it out loud. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/13/) — He told Kieran: «I'm out. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/14/) — A group that makes you smash windows and calls your mates traitors isn't loyal to you — it just uses you.» Real loyalty means sticking by people when they need you and being honest with them, not doing harm because a group demands it. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/16/) — Throwing stones at windows can injure people inside with flying glass, and it is a crime called criminal damage. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/18/) — Real loyalty means caring for people and being honest with them, not obeying a group no matter what. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/19/) — Refusing to join a fight is not betrayal; a true friend does not ask you to get hurt or hurt others. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/20/) — Planned «final battles» rarely end anything; they usually lead to injuries, revenge and more fights. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/21/) — A split lip or a fall on a kerb can need a doctor, and head injuries can be serious. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/22/) — Leaving a group can feel scary, but trusted adults — parents, teachers, youth workers — can help. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/23/) — If you are worried a brother, sister or friend is being drawn into a gang, telling a trusted adult is the right thing, not snitching. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/24/) — A gang name can make someone feel important, but it does not make them safer or more respected by people who matter. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/383-street-gangs-and-loyalty/25/) — If you know a big planned fight is coming, telling an adult or the police early can stop people getting hurt. - ← previous: [Our street against theirs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/382-our-street-against-theirs/) - next →: [When the police come](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/384-when-the-police-come/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)