--- title: Family parties, aunts and uncles, and the row nobody explains — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Family parties, aunts and uncles, and the row nobody explains», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: In Newcastle, Nan turns 70 and there are 40 relatives, a DJ, a buffet with sausage rolls stacked like brick --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/) [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/) / Family parties, aunts and uncles, and… # Family parties, aunts and uncles, and the row nobody explains Lesson 511 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 32 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/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/0/) — In Newcastle, Nan turns 70 and there are 40 relatives, a DJ, a buffet with sausage rolls stacked like bricks, and Uncle Gaz doing the Macarena in a shirt two sizes too small. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/2/) — Ellie-May wants the floor to swallow her, then gets up and dances anyway. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/3/) — Family parties are loud, embarrassing and great, often all at once. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/4/) — In Ohio, Lorcan goes to a family reunion, meets cousins he never knew he had, and plays baseball with them all day. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/5/) — Aunts and uncles can be special people. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/6/) — In Belfast, Uncle Paddy pulls a coin from Ronan's ear at every single party. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/7/) — Ronan is 10 now and knows exactly how the trick works (the coin is hidden in Paddy's hand all along), and he still laughs, because the laugh is for Paddy. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/8/) — In London, Kwesi's uncle comes from Ghana for a wedding wearing kente, a bright woven cloth, and dances all night; Kwesi's mates see the photos: «Your uncle's drip is crazy» (drip means stylish clothes). - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/9/) — In Swansea, Auntie slips Sadie a fiver every visit. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/10/) — Mum: «Oh, you don't have to!» Auntie: «Hush, it's for the cariad» (Welsh for darling). - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/11/) — Big families mean big attention. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/12/) — In Bradford, Hamid goes to a wedding with 300 guests and gets his cheeks pinched by about 20 aunties: «Mashallah, so big now!» («Mashallah» is said to admire something good, and means roughly «God has willed it».) He's fed up, but smiles: it is love, just very squeezy love. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/14/) — Some families have a row nobody explains. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/15/) — In Kent, Aunt Jo never comes to anything. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/17/) — Grown-ups often don't tell kids the details, and fixing it isn't a child's job. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/18/) — In Cork, at a funeral, Siobhan's auntie and her mam don't speak. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/19/) — Siobhan's cousin whispers, «Our mams hate each other.» Siobhan: «We don't have to.» They become friends. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/20/) — Kids don't have to carry the grown-ups' rows. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/21/) — And sometimes a party gets uncomfortable. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/23/) — Some people laugh; Ruaridh doesn't feel like laughing. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/24/) — He goes and finds his mam and stays near her. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/25/) — That's exactly right: stay near a grown-up you trust. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/26/) — Family parties can be loud, embarrassing and great at the same time. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/27/) — Aunts, uncles and older relatives can be special people in a child's life. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/28/) — Relatives who come from another country can bring clothes, music and customs to be proud of; kente is a bright woven cloth from Ghana. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/29/) — Big family events can mean lots of hugs, cheek-pinching and attention; it is usually love, and you can still say politely if you don't like being touched. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/30/) — Relatives often give small gifts or money to show love; saying thank you is the right answer. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/31/) — In Australian talk «yeah nah» means no and «nah yeah» means yes. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/32/) — Some families have rows that last years; children are usually not told the details, and fixing them is not a child's job. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/33/) — A will is a paper that says who gets a person's things after they die; arguments over wills sometimes split families. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/34/) — Children don't have to carry the grown-ups' rows; cousins can be friends even if their parents aren't. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/511-family-parties-aunts-and-uncles-and-the-row-nobody-explains/36/) — «Howay» is Geordie for come on; «drip» means stylish clothes; «cariad» is Welsh for darling; «Mashallah» is said to admire something good; Hogmanay is Scottish New Year; a «barbie» is an Aussie barbecue. - ← previous: [Cousins: like a sister, posh, or far away](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/510-cousins-like-a-sister-posh-or-far-away/) - next →: [The granny who spoils you and the strict grandad](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/512-the-granny-who-spoils-you-and-the-strict-grandad/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)