--- title: Pretend, cover stories and lies that become habits — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Pretend, cover stories and lies that become habits», a lesson of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Pretend play is not lying when everyone is in on the game, but cover stories, show-off fibs and "I'm fine" when --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/) [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/) / [Religion ethics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/) / Pretend, cover stories and lies that b… # Pretend, cover stories and lies that become habits Lesson 85 of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school: 19 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/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/0/) — Pretend play is not lying when everyone is in on the game, but cover stories, show-off fibs and "I'm fine" when you're not can quietly grow into a habit. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/1/) — Charlie told his class he'd been to Disneyland; he hadn't, and now kids keep asking about the rides, so every answer needs a new lie, like a web that gets bigger and stickier. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/2/) — Scientists at University College London found in 2016 that when people told small self-serving lies again and again, the brain's alarm centre reacted less each time, and the lies grew bigger. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/3/) — Jesus said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much" (Luke 16:10): small honesty is training for big honesty, and small lies are training too. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/4/) — The way out is to own up early, use honest words for the same goal ("she can't come to the phone right now"), and tell someone you trust when "I'm fine" isn't true. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/5/) — Pretend play like the tooth fairy is shared imagination; for a little one it is the parents' call, and if he asks you seriously, send him to his parents. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/6/) — Psychologists find lies often need more lies to protect them; owning up early ("I made it up, sorry") ends the web. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/7/) — "Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given" (Proverbs 25:14). - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/8/) — Saying "I'm about to" just to get someone off your back misleads them; James warns against confident talk about plans (James 4:13-15). - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/9/) — If a parent asks you to lie, the vicar says: "Honour your parents (Exodus 20:12), yet our first obedience is to God, who asks truthfulness of us (Acts 5:29)." - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/10/) — "She can't come to the phone right now" is true and polite: the same goal reached honestly. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/11/) — "Those who flatter their neighbours are spreading nets for their feet" (Proverbs 29:5); empty praise can make people overconfident. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/12/) — "I'm fine" is OK on an ordinary day, but when things are hard, tell someone you trust: "Carry each other's burdens" (Galatians 6:2). - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/13/) — An embarrassing truth is often funny rather than hurtful, like "the dog got the pasty before me!" - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/14/) — "Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment" (Proverbs 12:19); if the truth is harmless, tell it. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/15/) — A 2016 study at University College London found the part of the brain that sounds an alarm reacted less to each repeated lie; Aristotle said we become what we repeatedly do. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/16/) — Most faiths prize truth highly and allow at most narrow exceptions: Islam and Judaism both allow softening the truth only to make peace between people who have fallen out. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/17/) — A 2010 study found most people told few lies or none on a given day, and a small group told half of all the lies; "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong" (Exodus 23:2). - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/85-pretend-cover-stories-and-lies-that-become-habits/18/) — Slang check: "fixin' to" (Texas) means about to; "slaps" means is great; "my lover" in Cornwall and the West Country is a friendly word for dear. - ← previous: [Kind truths: honesty with a gentle voice](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/84-kind-truths-honesty-with-a-gentle-voice/) - next →: [Keeping promises](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/86-keeping-promises/) - ↑ back to [Religion ethics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/)