--- title: Olympiad: reading hidden feelings in hard times ★★★ — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Olympiad: reading hidden feelings in hard times ★★★», a lesson of the reflection course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: In an olympiad puzzle about feelings, the words people say are only one clue; the face, the timing, what they sudde --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/) [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/) / [Reflection](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/) / Olympiad: reading hidden feelings in h… # Olympiad: reading hidden feelings in hard times ★★★ Lesson 31 of the reflection course of Mova's primary school: 18 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/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/0/) — In an olympiad puzzle about feelings, the words people say are only one clue; the face, the timing, what they suddenly stop doing and what they call "just" or "only" are clues too, and a good reader puts them together like a detective. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/1/) — Picture Leo, whose grandad died last month: at school he jokes all day, then snaps at his best friend over a borrowed pencil; one clue alone says "he's fine" or "he's mean", but together they say "he's carrying something heavy". - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/2/) — Two traps hide in the words: hyperbole, where a feeling is blown up ("worst day of my LIFE" after losing a football match), and downplaying, where something big is made small ("it's nothing, just tired" from a friend who has stopped eating lunch); the first usually passes in a day, the second is the one to check. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/3/) — Feelings can also wear a costume: anger often covers hurt or fear, jokes can cover sadness, and "I don't care" can mean "I care so much it hurts"; grief comes in waves, so a person can laugh in the morning and cry at night, and both are real. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/4/) — The aim is never to play doctor with your friends, but to notice, ask gently ("You okay? - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/5/) — You seem a bit off"), listen, and bring in a trusted adult when the clues point to something big. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/6/) — Hyperbole is exaggerating on purpose, like "I'm literally dying of boredom"; it shows a strong feeling but is not meant word for word. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/7/) — Downplaying, or understatement, makes something sound smaller than it is, like "it's just a scratch" about a deep cut; when a real problem is downplayed, it is wise to check and tell an adult. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/8/) — Anger is often a "cover" feeling: underneath it there may be hurt, fear, sadness or embarrassment. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/9/) — Grief comes in waves: a grieving person can laugh one moment and cry the next, and both feelings are real. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/10/) — Numbness, feeling nothing at all, is a common first reaction to a shock or a death, and it does not mean the person didn't care. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/11/) — A change in someone's usual behaviour, such as a chatty friend going quiet or a friend who stops eating or playing, is often a bigger clue than any single thing they say. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/12/) — People sometimes say "I don't care" or "whatever" to protect themselves when they actually care a lot. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/13/) — A grumpy or mean face can come from things you can't see, such as a bad night, worry at home or pain; it is not always about you. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/14/) — One clue is a guess; several clues pointing the same way make a better guess, but the only way to really know is to ask kindly. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/15/) — In Britain "not too bad" or "a bit low" can hide a lot, and "mardy" (Midlands and North) means sulky, while "tamping" (Wales) means furious; tone and face help to read them. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/16/) — Anniversaries, birthdays and holidays can bring grief back strongly, even years later. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/31-olympiad-reading-hidden-feelings-in-hard-times/17/) — If a friend says something that suggests they are being hurt or are in danger, a promise to keep it secret should be broken: tell a trusted adult. - ← previous: [Getting through it: who helps, what helps, and looking back](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/30-getting-through-it-who-helps-what-helps-and-looking-back/) - next →: [Olympiad: thinking traps and what helps first ★★★](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/32-olympiad-thinking-traps-and-what-helps-first/) - ↑ back to [Reflection](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/)