--- title: Politicians and promises, as the news reports them — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Politicians and promises, as the news reports them», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Before an election, a candidate in Liam's town promised «a new swimming pool for every school». --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/) [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/) / Politicians and promises, as the news… # Politicians and promises, as the news reports them Lesson 442 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 35 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/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/0/) — Before an election, a candidate in Liam's town promised «a new swimming pool for every school». - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/1/) — She won, and no pool was built. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/2/) — Liam's dad said she'd said the money had run out. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/4/) — Dad didn't tell Liam which side was right. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/5/) — He said: «You can check three things: what she promised, what she did, and what she says happened. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/6/) — Then make your own mind up.» - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/7/) — The news can be confusing. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/8/) — One evening in Auckland, Ella heard two politicians say opposite things about crime: one said it went up, the other said it went down. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/9/) — Her teacher showed both charts: crime had gone down over ten years but up last year. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/10/) — Each politician picked the part that suited them. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/11/) — Noah's grandma watched a politician get a yes-or-no question and talk for two minutes about something else. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/12/) — «He didn't answer that, did he?» she said. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/13/) — Dodging a question isn't the same as lying — but it can hide things. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/14/) — Some tricks come from newspapers and the internet, not from politicians. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/15/) — A headline shouted «MAYOR'S SHOCKING SECRET!» Zara read the article: he likes pineapple on pizza. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/17/) — Leo's sister noticed the mouth moved weirdly: it was a fake made by a computer. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/18/) — They checked — no real news site had reported it — and the uncle deleted it, a bit red-faced. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/19/) — Promises are worth checking. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/20/) — Max in Sydney promised «no homework ever» if he became class captain. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/21/) — He won, homework continued — a captain has no power over homework. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/23/) — Aisha's dad said «Both? - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/24/) — With what money?» Then he added that some people think it can be done with clever choices, others think it can't, and they'd see. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/25/) — One politician said «I never said that!» — and a reporter played a recording where he did. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/26/) — People argued about whether he lied or forgot. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/27/) — In Belfast two neighbours argued about one politician. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/31/) — A promise made before an election can be checked afterwards: what was promised, what was done, and what the person says happened. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/32/) — When a promise is broken, people often disagree about whether it was a lie or a plan that failed; both happen. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/33/) — Two people can use the same numbers to say opposite things by choosing different years or different parts. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/35/) — Headlines are written to make people read; the story underneath may be much less exciting. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/36/) — Computers can make fake videos of real people saying things they never said. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/37/) — If something big is true, many trusted news sites report it; if only one strange account has it, be careful. - [39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/39/) — When a promise gives everyone everything with nothing taken away, it is fair to ask how it would be paid for; honest people disagree about the answer. - [40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/40/) — What politicians say in public is often recorded, so «I never said that» can be checked. - [41](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/41/) — «Everyone knows» is not proof; a fair judgement looks at what someone actually said and did. - [42](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/442-politicians-and-promises-as-the-news-reports-them/42/) — «All politicians are liars» is an exaggeration; some lie, some don't, and many do a mix. - ← previous: [«Only one left!»: shops and adverts](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/441-only-one-left-shops-and-adverts/) - next →: [Grown-ups' little lies: the ice-cream van](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/443-grown-ups-little-lies-the-ice-cream-van/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)