--- title: Too many details, too few — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Too many details, too few», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Mia asked her brother where he'd been. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/) [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/) / Too many details, too few # Too many details, too few Lesson 450 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 36 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/450-too-many-details-too-few/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/0/) — Mia asked her brother where he'd been. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/2/) — It sounded like a script he'd practised. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/3/) — Mia's mum rang Jake's mum: he hadn't been there at all. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/4/) — A story with too many neat details for an ordinary thing can be made up — but so can a story with too few. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/5/) — Noah asked his mate what he did at the weekend. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/9/) — Noah let it go; weeks later his mate told him his parents were splitting up. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/10/) — Mia's friend Lucy said she couldn't come to the sleepover because of «a family thing». - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/11/) — Mia said «Okay, no worries» and didn't push. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/12/) — The next week Lucy told her she was scared of sleepovers, and Mia said «Come for tea instead, then go home.» Not every vague answer needs cracking open; sometimes leaving space lets people tell you later. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/13/) — Watch where the details are. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/15/) — Later she admitted he'd been «far away, like». - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/17/) — Ruby asked «What was your hotel like?» and the friend changed the subject. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/19/) — Theo said he'd been «at the dentist», but he had no sticker, no leaflet, no numb mouth. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/21/) — Real events leave traces. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/22/) — Details are not always a bad sign. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/23/) — Ava's cousin told a story about a bear at a campsite: the smell, the scrape of claws on the bin, her dad shouting in his pants. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/24/) — Ava believed her — and later saw the photos. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/25/) — True stories often have odd details from the senses, and little mistakes. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/26/) — Lies made up on purpose often have neat details, all in order, like a list. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/27/) — Watch for words that skip the proof. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/29/) — Which study?» No names, no place, no date. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/30/) — On the radio a man said «Everyone knows…», and Callum in Belfast asked who «everyone» was. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/33/) — Later his mum said she'd said nothing; he just didn't feel like it. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/34/) — When a reason is pushed onto someone else, ask yourself whether it's really theirs. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/35/) — Most people don't remember ordinary events to the exact minute; a story that is too perfect can be a practised script. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/36/) — Too few details, like «stuff» and «places», can mean a lie, or a private worry the person doesn't want to share. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/37/) — Not every vague answer should be pushed; giving space can help someone tell you later. - [38](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/38/) — Notice where a story's details are rich and where they suddenly stop; the missing part may be the made-up part. - [39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/39/) — A description made only of famous things everyone knows, with nothing personal, may come from films rather than memory. - [40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/40/) — Real events usually leave traces, like stickers, receipts, photos or a sore mouth. - [41](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/41/) — True stories often have odd details from the senses — smells, sounds, feelings — and small mistakes. - [42](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/42/) — Made-up stories often have neat details told in perfect order. - [43](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/43/) — Real facts come with sources: who found them, where and when. - [45](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/45/) — People sometimes blame someone else for their own choice; «I don't feel like it» is the honest version. - [46](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/46/) — No single clue proves a lie; clues are reasons to ask kindly or to check. - [47](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/450-too-many-details-too-few/47/) — «Like» at the end of a sentence (Scotland, North England) softens it; «pants» in Britain are underpants; «mint» (UK) means great; a «bloke» is a man. - ← previous: [Stories that change](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/) - next →: [The check that settles it](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/451-the-check-that-settles-it/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)