--- title: Three's a crowd, and the friend who picks someone else — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Three's a crowd, and the friend who picks someone else», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Lily, Maddie and Chloe are a three. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/) [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/) / Three's a crowd, and the friend who pi… # Three's a crowd, and the friend who picks someone else Lesson 478 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 25 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/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/0/) — Lily, Maddie and Chloe are a three. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/1/) — On the path to school there's only room for two side by side, so someone walks behind, and lately it's always Lily, staring at two heads whispering and giggling. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/2/) — Finally she says, «I'm always at the back.» Maddie honestly hadn't noticed. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/3/) — They start taking turns, and on wide bits they walk three abreast like cowboys in a film. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/4/) — Threes are tricky; say how you feel before you start sulking. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/5/) — Sometimes a friend picks someone else. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/7/) — Sam stops waiting at the table and goes to chess club, and by spring he has two new mates. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/9/) — Their volcano erupts baking soda all over the teacher's desk; it gets the best mark in the class, and Mia has a new friend. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/10/) — Not being picked once is not the same as not being liked. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/11/) — Before deciding you were dumped, ask. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/12/) — Kieran sees a photo of Connor and Jake at the cinema without him. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/15/) — Some leaving-out is cruel. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/16/) — Harper hands out pool-party invitations to the whole class except Mia, right in front of her. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/17/) — The teacher has a quiet word with Harper's mum, and Mia's grandma takes her to the cinema «for a party of two». - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/19/) — When Ade goes off to play with the Year 6 lads, Sam and Jake stop moping and find a bigger game with the girls from Maddie's class. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/20/) — And when Ellie and Jess row over a gel pen and each wants Maddie on her side, Maddie says, «I'm not picking sides, it's a pen.» Lily solves threes another way: games that need three, like piggy in the middle with turns, and on bad days they go and find a fourth. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/21/) — Groups of three are tricky, because two can easily pair off and leave one out. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/22/) — Saying calmly how you feel, such as «I'm always at the back», works better than sulking. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/23/) — Taking turns, or choosing games that fit three people, helps a three stay fair. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/24/) — When a friend spends time with someone new, you cannot force them back; doing your own things and leaving the door open helps. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/25/) — Not being picked once, for a project or a team, does not mean you are not liked. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/26/) — Being left out is sometimes just a mix-up in plans, so it is worth asking before deciding. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/27/) — Friends are allowed to have other friends. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/28/) — Leaving one person out on purpose, in front of them, is cruel; it is not their fault, and telling a grown-up is right. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/478-threes-a-crowd-and-the-friend-who-picks-someone-else/31/) — «Lowkey» means quietly or a bit, «fire» means brilliant, and «summat» means something in the North of England. - ← previous: [Saying sorry, and the sorry that is not accepted](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/) - next →: [The group chat that turns](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/479-the-group-chat-that-turns/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)