--- title: Stories that change — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Stories that change», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Josh came home with a bump on his head. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/) [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/) / Stories that change # Stories that change Lesson 449 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 42 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/449-stories-that-change/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/0/) — Josh came home with a bump on his head. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/2/) — She didn't shout; she asked gently, «What really happened, love?» Josh had been in a scuffle and was scared to say. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/3/) — A true story stays more or less the same each time it's told. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/4/) — A made-up one has to be built again every time, and it comes out a bit different. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/5/) — Stories can also patch themselves when they're challenged. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/7/) — His teacher had seen him walking. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/8/) — «Oh — he dropped me at the corner.» New details that appear only after a problem are a clue. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/10/) — Mum asked, «What time does it close?» «Er… 6?» It closes at 5. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/11/) — One fact that can be looked up — opening times, bus times, the weather — can test a whole story. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/12/) — A gentle question can show whether someone was really there. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/13/) — Emma's friend said she'd seen the new Pixar film. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/14/) — Emma said «I saw it too — wasn't the ending sad?» «Yeah, so sad.» The ending was happy. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/16/) — In Cork, a teacher asked two boys separately where they'd been at lunch. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/17/) — Both said «the library, together». - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/18/) — She asked what book. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/19/) — One said «a dinosaur one», the other «a football one». - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/20/) — They'd been behind the bike shed, and laughed about the detention later. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/21/) — Two kids with a plan agree on the big things but not on the small ones. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/22/) — Some stories just don't fit the world. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/23/) — Tom's little brother said the dog ate the cake — but the dog was locked in the garden, and the brother had chocolate on his chin. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/24/) — Everyone laughed; the dog looked insulted. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/25/) — Ollie said he'd read every night; his log was all ticked in the same pen at the same angle, done in one go on Friday morning. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/26/) — Real life is messy; things done over days look different. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/27/) — And Grace's friend said «I didn't eat your sweets, I swear on my mum's life, I'd never, honestly, I promise» — then Grace found the wrapper in her bag. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/29/) — Not every changing story is a lie. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/30/) — Kai's mate swore he'd seen a shark at the beach. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/31/) — Then it was a dolphin. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/32/) — Then «a big fish thingy». - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/34/) — His mate wasn't lying; he just wasn't sure what he'd seen. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/35/) — When two kids blamed each other for a push — «by the gate!», «by the bins!» — the teacher asked a third kid: «They both pushed, by the bench.» When stories clash, ask what people are sure of, and find someone else who saw. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/36/) — A true story usually stays much the same each time it is told; a made-up one often changes. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/37/) — Details that appear only after someone is challenged can be a sign that a story is being patched. - [38](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/38/) — One simple checkable fact, like opening times, can test a whole story. - [39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/39/) — A gentle question about a detail can show whether someone was really there. - [40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/40/) — Asking two people the same small questions separately shows whether their stories really match. - [41](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/41/) — Ask whether a story could have happened that way; if it couldn't, it didn't. - [42](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/42/) — Evidence that looks too neat, all done at once, can show something was faked at the last minute. - [43](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/43/) — Too much swearing and promising about a small thing can be a sign of lying; truthful people often simply say «No». - [44](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/44/) — Not every changing story is a lie; people can be unsure, and their story shrinks when they are doubted. - [45](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/45/) — When two stories clash, a witness who saw it from outside can help settle it. - [46](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/46/) — Checking a story works best done kindly and calmly, not to embarrass someone. - [47](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/47/) — «Yeah nah» (Australia, New Zealand) means no; «cracked up» means burst out laughing; a «scuffle» is a small fight. - ← previous: [The magician's trick explained](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/448-the-magicians-trick-explained/) - next →: [Too many details, too few](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)