--- title: I was taught first to read and write, and then to learn the Koran, w… — The Arabian Nights Entertainments · tree and pragmatics description: I was taught first to read and write, and then to learn the Koran, which is the basis of our holy religion, and the better to understand it, I read with my tutors the ablest commentators on its teaching, and committed to memory all the traditions respecting the Prophet, which have been gathered from --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg128/8/31/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [The Arabian Nights Entertainments](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg128/) / [Opening, part 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg128/8/) / 31 # The Arabian Nights Entertainments, Opening, part 8, sentence 31 I was taught first to read and write, and then to learn the Koran, which is the basis of our holy religion, and the better to understand it, I read with my tutors the ablest commentators on its teaching, and committed to memory all the traditions respecting the Prophet, which have been gathered from the mouth of those who were his friends. **Who acts:** I, Koran, traditions · **What happens:** teach, read, write, learn, be, understand · **To what, where:** I, Koran, basis, traditions, Prophet, mouth · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Arabian Nights Entertainments» by Andrew Lang, Opening, part 8. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (I, Koran, traditions), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree. **Parsed by Mova, not checked by a teacher.** This tree is Mova's own parse (the `en` model, on the CPU, when the site is built); it may be wrong. ## The tree {#tree} ```conllu # sent_id = book:pg128:8:31 # text = I was taught first to read and write, and then to learn the Koran, which is the basis of our holy religion, and the better to understand it, I read with my tutors the ablest commentators on its teaching, and committed to memory all the traditions respecting the Prophet, which have been gathered from the mouth of those who were his friends. 1 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj:pass _ _ 2 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 aux:pass _ _ 3 taught teach VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 4 first first ADV RB NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 3 advmod _ _ 5 to to PART TO _ 6 mark _ _ 6 read read VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 xcomp _ _ 7 and and CCONJ CC _ 8 cc _ _ 8 write write VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 6 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 9 , , PUNCT , _ 13 punct _ _ 10 and and CCONJ CC _ 13 cc _ _ 11 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 13 advmod _ _ 12 to to PART TO _ 13 mark _ _ 13 learn learn VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 parataxis _ _ 14 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 15 det _ _ 15 Koran Koran PROPN NNP Number=Sing 13 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 16 , , PUNCT , _ 20 punct _ _ 17 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 20 nsubj _ _ 18 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 20 cop _ _ 19 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 20 det _ _ 20 basis basis NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 appos _ _ 21 of of ADP IN _ 24 case _ _ 22 our our PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 24 nmod:poss _ _ 23 holy holy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 24 amod _ _ 24 religion religion NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 25 , , PUNCT , _ 28 punct _ _ 26 and and CCONJ CC _ 28 cc _ _ 27 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 28 det _ _ 28 better good ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 13 parataxis _ _ 29 to to PART TO _ 30 mark _ _ 30 understand understand VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 28 csubj _ _ 31 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 30 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 32 , , PUNCT , _ 34 punct _ _ 33 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 34 nsubj _ _ 34 read read VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 3 conj _ _ 35 with with ADP IN _ 37 case _ _ 36 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 37 nmod:poss _ _ 37 tutors tutor NOUN NNS Number=Plur 34 obl _ _ 38 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 40 det _ _ 39 ablest able ADJ JJS Degree=Sup 40 amod _ _ 40 commentators commentator NOUN NNS Number=Plur 37 nmod _ _ 41 on on ADP IN _ 43 case _ _ 42 its its PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 43 nmod:poss _ _ 43 teaching teaching NOUN NN Number=Sing 40 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 44 , , PUNCT , _ 46 punct _ _ 45 and and CCONJ CC _ 46 cc _ _ 46 committed committed ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 34 conj _ _ 47 to to ADP IN _ 48 case _ _ 48 memory memory NOUN NN Number=Sing 46 obl _ _ 49 all all DET PDT PronType=Tot 51 det:predet _ _ 50 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 51 det _ _ 51 traditions tradition NOUN NNS Number=Plur 34 obl _ _ 52 respecting respect VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 51 acl _ _ 53 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 54 det _ _ 54 Prophet Prophet PROPN NNP Number=Sing 52 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 55 , , PUNCT , _ 59 punct _ _ 56 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 59 nsubj:pass _ _ 57 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 59 aux _ _ 58 been be AUX VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 59 aux:pass _ _ 59 gathered gather VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 54 acl:relcl _ _ 60 from from ADP IN _ 62 case _ _ 61 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 62 det _ _ 62 mouth mouth NOUN NN Number=Sing 59 obl _ _ 63 of of ADP IN _ 64 case _ _ 64 those that PRON DT Number=Plur|PronType=Dem 62 nmod _ _ 65 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 68 nsubj _ _ 66 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 68 cop _ _ 67 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 68 nmod:poss _ _ 68 friends friend NOUN NNS Number=Plur 64 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 69 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **teach** *speech: other* | past · passive | | I | | | | first *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: subject=Recipient clause=Topic | | 2 | **read** | to-infinitive | I *not said here* | | | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **write** | infinitive | I *not said here* | | | | | | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 4 | **learn** | to-infinitive | | the Koran | | | then | | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent koran=Topic | | 5 | **is a** | present | the Koran | the basis | | | | of our holy religion | tree rules | | 6 | **understand** | to-infinitive | | Koran | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus | | 7 | **read** | present | I | all traditions | | | | with my tutors the ablest commentators on Koran's teaching | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 8 | **respect** | gerund | all traditions *not said here* | the Prophet | | | | | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer prophet=Stimulus | | 9 | **gather** | present · perfect · passive | | the Prophet | | the mouth of those | | | vn deduce-97.2 «NP V NP PP.source»: subject=Theme from mouth=Source | | 10 | **is a** | past | | King's friends | | | | | tree rules | | 11 | **teach** | | Koran | | | | | | nom teaching «act transitive»: poss=agent | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. **Text:** «The Arabian Nights Entertainments» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 128 (public domain in the USA). **Tree:** Mova's own parse, Elamur Cosmic License. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), the chapter read in order. - ← previous: [sentence 30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg128/8/30/) - next →: [sentence 32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg128/8/32/) - ↑ back to [Opening, part 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg128/8/)