--- title: Money is tight: free school meals and second-hand uniform — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Money is tight: free school meals and second-hand uniform», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: In Sunderland, Dafydd's mum works part-time in a care home and money is tight, so Dafydd gets free school meals --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/) [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/) / Money is tight: free school meals and… # Money is tight: free school meals and second-hand uniform Lesson 487 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 31 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/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/0/) — In Sunderland, Dafydd's mum works part-time in a care home and money is tight, so Dafydd gets free school meals. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/2/) — The kid who teases is the one in the wrong. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/3/) — Lots of families save money on clothes. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/4/) — Nia's school jumper in Swansea came from the uniform swap box and still has «OLIVIA P» in the label, so she scribbles it out (Mum could also sew a new name label in). - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/5/) — Second-hand uniform is clean and works just as well, and families who could buy new use the swap box too. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/6/) — In Glasgow, Minnie's dad finds her a disco dress in a charity shop for £3. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/7/) — «It's pure dead brilliant, Dad!» (Glasgow for really brilliant.) Her friend Aimee sniffs, «Whit, a charity shop?» («Whit» is Scots for what.) A good find is a good find, and Aimee's sniff says more about Aimee than the dress. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/8/) — Sometimes money runs out before payday. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/10/) — Dad says, «Sorry bud, can't swing new ones till payday» («can't swing» means can't afford). - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/11/) — Koa thinks about skipping swimming, but schools often keep spare kit and lend it quietly. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/13/) — Hiding money troubles can make things worse. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/14/) — Bogdan in Coventry doesn't give Mum the letter about the £35 theme park trip, because he knows she'll worry, and he says he's ill that day. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/15/) — But many schools have money to help with trips, and only a parent can ask, so by hiding the letter Bogdan decided for Mum. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/17/) — He could say, «Can't afford it this week. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/18/) — Park instead?» A real friend says yes. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/19/) — Money can go up and down. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/20/) — Hamish's dad is a fisherman in Inverness: one month it's takeaway twice a week, the next it's beans on toast. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/21/) — «Are we skint again, Da?» «Aye, wee bit, it'll come back.» Islay in Perth, Australia, has had jam sandwiches every day since her dad got hurt at work; she tells a girl, «Yeah nah, it's sweet as» (Aussie for «no, it's fine»), but at home she asks for something different and Mum looks sad. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/22/) — Asking isn't wrong, and a no isn't anyone's fault. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/23/) — And when Amara brings shop biscuits to the cake sale because Mum had no time or eggs, they help just as much as homemade cupcakes. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/24/) — Free school meals are for families who don't have much money; lots of children get them, and nobody should be teased for it. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/25/) — Uniform swap boxes and second-hand uniform save families money; the clothes are clean and work just as well. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/26/) — Charity shops sell good second-hand things cheaply, and the money they make helps a charity; people of every kind shop there. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/27/) — Schools often keep spare kit, like swimming costumes and PE shoes, and lend it quietly to children who need it. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/28/) — Many schools have money to help families pay for trips, but a parent has to ask, so the letter should always go home. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/29/) — School counsellors and charities often help children who need shoes or a coat. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/30/) — Some jobs, like fishing, pay a lot one month and little the next, so families save in good months for bad ones. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/31/) — The point of a cake sale is to help, so shop biscuits count just as much as homemade cakes. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/33/) — It's normal to want something different, and normal for a parent to feel sad when they can't give more; neither is anyone's fault. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/34/) — If you see someone teased about old shoes or free dinners, the kind thing is not to laugh and to help or tell a teacher. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/487-money-is-tight-free-meals-and-second-hand-uniform/35/) — Words in this lesson: «canny» (North East England) means nice or good, «whit» (Scotland) means what, «pure dead brilliant» (Glasgow) means really brilliant, «togs» (NZ, Australia) are a swimming costume, «can't swing it» means can't afford it, «sus» means suspicious or dodgy, «skint» means out of money, «wee» means small, «yeah nah» means no, «sweet as» means fine. - ← previous: [Every family is different](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/486-every-family-is-different/) - next →: [The electric meter, the food bank and «we can't afford it»](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)