--- title: I was wrong: changing your mind — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «I was wrong: changing your mind», a lesson of the myths course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Last week I told the whole class, "Bulls go mad for red, I'd bet my life on it!" Then I read a zoo website: bulls can't even tell red from g --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/) [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/) / [Myths](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/) / I was wrong: changing your mind # I was wrong: changing your mind Lesson 35 of the myths course of Mova's primary school: 21 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/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/0/) — Last week I told the whole class, "Bulls go mad for red, I'd bet my life on it!" Then I read a zoo website: bulls can't even tell red from green; it's the movement. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/1/) — My face went hot. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/2/) — Saying "I was wrong" in front of everyone felt awful for about ten seconds. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/3/) — Then Mia said, "I thought that too," and two more people learned something. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/4/) — Owning up often helps others learn. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/5/) — Scientists change their minds when the evidence changes; that's a strength, not a weakness. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/6/) — The trick is not to swing to the opposite myth, as I did when I shouted "rubbish!" at Grandad: carrots ARE good for eyes, they just don't give you night vision. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/7/) — And owning up isn't only about facts: if you scared someone with a story, forwarded a hoax or lost a bet, put it right. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/8/) — Keep your word, correct what you spread, and say sorry for the tone as well as the fact. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/9/) — Bulls cannot tell red from green; it is the movement of a cape that makes them charge. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/10/) — The "Bloody Mary" mirror story is not real; staring into a mirror in dim light makes the brain see strange faces, which is a trick of the eyes and brain. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/11/) — Goldfish can remember things for months, not three seconds. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/12/) — Chain messages that threaten bad luck if you don't share them are hoaxes; a message cannot know whether you shared it. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/13/) — Carrots contain what the body uses to make vitamin A, which healthy eyes need, but eating carrots does not give you night vision. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/14/) — Whales are mammals, not fish; they breathe air and feed their babies milk. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/15/) — Venus, not Mercury, is the hottest planet, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun, because Venus's thick atmosphere (its blanket of gas) traps heat. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/16/) — Careful studies found that sugar does not make children hyperactive (too full of energy to calm down); excitement at parties is a likelier reason. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/17/) — In 2006 astronomers decided Pluto is a dwarf planet, and many people changed their minds because of the new definition. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/18/) — There is no monster under the bed; teasing a little child with scary stories can really frighten them. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/19/) — Everyone is wrong sometimes; feeling embarrassed is normal and it passes. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/35-i-was-wrong-changing-your-mind/20/) — When you lose a fair bet, keeping your word is the honest thing to do. - ← previous: [Teachers who listen, teachers who get cross — and when the teacher is right after all](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/34-teachers-who-listen-teachers-who-get-cross-and-when-the-teacher-is-right-after-all/) - next →: [Olympiad: which claim is true? ★★★](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/36-olympiad-which-claim-is-true/) - ↑ back to [Myths](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/)