--- title: When the story falls apart — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «When the story falls apart», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Mia told Mum she'd been at the library. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/) [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/) / When the story falls apart # When the story falls apart Lesson 431 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/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/0/) — Mia told Mum she'd been at the library. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/1/) — «What book did you get?» «A book about… sharks.» «Let's see it.» «I had to leave it there.» «Why?» «Because… sharks.» Four questions and the story fell over. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/2/) — Mia had really been at the shopping centre with kids she'd been told to keep away from. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/4/) — A made-up story has no real memories behind it, so questions knock it over; the truth stands up to any question. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/5/) — Tiny clues help too: Grace said the crisp packet under her bed was «from ages ago», but the best-before date was next year and Mum had bought those crisps on Tuesday. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/6/) — Zoe said she'd walked straight home — then her brother said «you were at the shop», and the shopkeeper waved: «Hiya Zoe, back for more?» Zoe laughed and owned up. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/7/) — Jasmine blamed the last cookie on her sister, then the dog, then «maybe it just fell». - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/8/) — Dad: «Three suspects for one cookie. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/9/) — Some lies use things that are too big to play with. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/10/) — Ethan in Dallas invented a big kid who stole his lunch money — he'd spent it on Pokémon cards — and his parents were scared for his safety for nothing. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/11/) — Oisin in Cork said his dog had died to get more time; the teacher sent a sympathy card home, and Mum opened it with the dog asleep on her feet. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/12/) — «You used my kindness,» said the teacher, and Oisin felt like an eejit (Irish for a fool) for a month. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/14/) — Bodies don't work like excuses either. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/15/) — Rohan in Singapore was too sick for the quiz, fine by lunch to play, and sick again when homework came out. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/16/) — «Can or not?» asked Mum — Singapore talk for «yes or no?» — and he did the quiz at home. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/17/) — Arlo told the class he broke his arm skateboarding; he'd slipped in the bath. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/18/) — When the cast came off he told his best mate, who laughed for ages and then taught him to skate for real. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/19/) — Ben's teacher drew a «lie ladder»: one lie on the bottom rung, and every rung needs another lie to hold it up. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/21/) — A made-up story has no real memories behind it, so simple questions make it fall apart. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/22/) — The truth stays the same however many questions are asked. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/23/) — Small clues, like dates on packets, witnesses and shopkeepers who know you, often break a lie. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/24/) — When a story changes every time it is told, people stop believing all of it. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/25/) — Inventing someone who hurt you is a big lie: it scares people who love you and could get an innocent person in trouble. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/26/) — Lying that someone has died or is ill, to get out of things, is cruel to the people who believe you. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/27/) — Using family matters, like parents living apart, as cover can make grown-ups worry and touches real feelings. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/28/) — Real illness doesn't come and go to match homework and play, so fake sickness shows a pattern. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/29/) — A funny true story, like slipping in the bath, is usually a better story than a cool lie. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/431-when-the-story-falls-apart/31/) — The earlier you say «actually, that wasn't true», the easier it is. - ← previous: [Lies that grow: one lie needs three more](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/430-lies-that-grow-one-lie-needs-three-more/) - next →: [«It was HIM!»: siblings blaming each other](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/432-it-was-him-siblings-blaming-each-other/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)