--- title: The swallows did not know anything about it; but the Stork looked mu… — Andersen's Fairy Tales · tree and pragmatics description: The swallows did not know anything about it; but the Stork looked musing, nodded his head, and said, “Yes; I think I know; I met many ships as I was flying hither from Egypt; on the ships were magnificent masts, and I venture to assert that it was they that smelt so of fir. Who acts: swallows, Stork --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/10/24/) [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/) / [Andersen's Fairy Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/) / [The Fir Tree](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/10/) / 24 # Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Fir Tree, sentence 24 The swallows did not know anything about it; but the Stork looked musing, nodded his head, and said, “Yes; I think I know; I met many ships as I was flying hither from Egypt; on the ships were magnificent masts, and I venture to assert that it was they that smelt so of fir. **Who acts:** swallows, Stork, head · **What happens:** not know, look, muse, nod, say, think · **To what, where:** anything, head, many ships, Egypt, magnificent masts, ships · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Andersen's Fairy Tales» by H. C. Andersen, The Fir Tree. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (swallows, Stork, head), 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:pg1597:10:24 # text = The swallows did not know anything about it; but the Stork looked musing, nodded his head, and said, “Yes; I think I know; I met many ships as I was flying hither from Egypt; on the ships were magnificent masts, and I venture to assert that it was they that smelt so of fir. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 swallows swallow NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 nsubj _ _ 3 did do AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 aux _ _ 4 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 5 advmod _ _ 5 know know VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 6 anything anything PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Ind 5 obj _ _ 7 about about ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 8 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 6 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 9 ; ; PUNCT , _ 13 punct _ _ 10 but but CCONJ CC _ 13 cc _ _ 11 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 12 Stork Stork PROPN NNP Number=Sing 13 nsubj _ _ 13 looked look VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 parataxis _ _ 14 musing muse VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 13 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 15 , , PUNCT , _ 16 punct _ _ 16 nodded nod VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ _ 17 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 18 nmod:poss _ _ 18 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 16 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 19 , , PUNCT , _ 21 punct _ _ 20 and and CCONJ CC _ 21 cc _ _ 21 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 27 punct _ _ 23 “ " PUNCT `` _ 27 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 24 Yes yes INTJ UH Polarity=Pos 27 discourse _ SpaceAfter=No 25 ; ; PUNCT : _ 24 punct _ _ 26 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 27 nsubj _ _ 27 think think VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 21 ccomp _ _ 28 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 29 nsubj _ _ 29 know know VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 27 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 30 ; ; PUNCT , _ 32 punct _ _ 31 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 32 nsubj _ _ 32 met meet VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 conj _ _ 33 many many ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 34 amod _ _ 34 ships ship NOUN NNS Number=Plur 32 obj _ _ 35 as as SCONJ IN _ 38 mark _ _ 36 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 38 nsubj _ _ 37 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 38 aux _ _ 38 flying fly VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 32 advcl _ _ 39 hither hither ADV RB _ 38 advmod _ _ 40 from from ADP IN _ 41 case _ _ 41 Egypt Egypt PROPN NNP Number=Sing 38 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 42 ; ; PUNCT : _ 48 punct _ _ 43 on on ADP IN _ 45 case _ _ 44 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 45 det _ _ 45 ships ship NOUN NNS Number=Plur 48 obl _ _ 46 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 48 cop _ _ 47 magnificent magnificent ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 48 amod _ _ 48 masts mast NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 49 , , PUNCT , _ 52 punct _ _ 50 and and CCONJ CC _ 52 cc _ _ 51 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 52 nsubj _ _ 52 venture venture VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 conj _ _ 53 to to PART TO _ 54 mark _ _ 54 assert assert VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 52 xcomp _ _ 55 that that SCONJ IN _ 60 mark _ _ 56 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 60 nsubj _ _ 57 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 60 cop _ _ 58 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 60 nsubj _ _ 59 that that PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 60 nsubj _ _ 60 smelt smelt VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 54 advcl _ _ 61 so so ADV RB _ 63 advmod _ _ 62 of of ADP IN _ 63 case _ _ 63 fir fir NOUN NN Number=Sing 60 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 64 . . PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **not** **know** | past · do-support | the swallows | anything | | | | about earth | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer anything=Stimulus | | 2 | **look** | past | the Stork | | | | | | tree rules | | 3 | **muse** | gerund | the Stork *not said here* | | | | | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 4 | **nod** | past | the Stork *not said here* | Tree's head | | | | | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent head=Patient | | 5 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the Stork *not said here* | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 6 | **think** *speech: other* *in a quote* | present | the Stork *= stork* | | | | | | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 7 | **know** *in a quote* | present | the Stork *= stork* | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer | | 8 | **meet** *in a quote* | past | the Stork *= stork* | many ships | | | | | vn meet-36.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent ship=Co-Agent | | 9 | **fly** *in a quote* | past · progressive | the Stork *= stork* | | | Egypt | | hither *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme from egypt=Trajectory | | 10 | **is a** *in a quote* | past | the swallows *not said here* | magnificent masts | | the ships | | | tree rules | | 11 | **venture** *in a quote* | present | the Stork *= stork* | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 12 | **assert** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | the Stork *= stork* *not said here* | | | | | | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 13 | **is** *in a quote* | past | head | | | | | of fir; smelt *property* | tree rules | 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:** «Andersen's Fairy Tales» by H. C. Andersen, Project Gutenberg book 1597 (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 23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/10/23/) - next →: [sentence 25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/10/25/) - ↑ back to [The Fir Tree](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/10/)