--- title: Then the snow began to fall so thickly that the little boy could not… — Andersen's Fairy Tales · tree and pragmatics description: Then the snow began to fall so thickly that the little boy could not see an arm's length before him, but still on he went: when suddenly he let go the string he held in his hand in order to get loose from the sledge, but it was of no use; still the little vehicle rushed on with the quickness of the --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/11/95/) [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 Snow Queen, part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/11/) / 95 # Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Snow Queen, part 1, sentence 95 Then the snow began to fall so thickly that the little boy could not see an arm's length before him, but still on he went: when suddenly he let go the string he held in his hand in order to get loose from the sledge, but it was of no use; still the little vehicle rushed on with the quickness of the wind. **Who acts:** snow, little boy, other, little vehicle, sledge · **What happens:** begin, fall, not see, go, let, hold · **To what, where:** length, little vehicle, string, hand This is a sentence of «Andersen's Fairy Tales» by H. C. Andersen, The Snow Queen, part 1. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (snow, little boy, other, little vehicle), 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:pg1597:11:95 # text = Then the snow began to fall so thickly that the little boy could not see an arm's length before him, but still on he went: when suddenly he let go the string he held in his hand in order to get loose from the sledge, but it was of no use; still the little vehicle rushed on with the quickness of the wind. 1 Then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 4 advmod _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 3 snow snow NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 4 began begin VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 to to PART TO _ 6 mark _ _ 6 fall fall VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 xcomp _ _ 7 so so ADV RB _ 8 advmod _ _ 8 thickly thickly ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 6 xcomp _ _ 9 that that SCONJ IN _ 15 mark _ _ 10 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 11 little little ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 12 amod _ _ 12 boy boy NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 nsubj _ _ 13 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 15 aux _ _ 14 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 15 advmod _ _ 15 see see VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 8 advcl _ _ 16 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 17 det _ _ 17 arm arm NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 18 's 's PART POS _ 17 case _ _ 19 length length NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 obj _ _ 20 before before ADP IN _ 21 case _ _ 21 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 15 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 27 punct _ _ 23 but but CCONJ CC _ 27 cc _ _ 24 still still ADV RB _ 27 advmod _ _ 25 on on SCONJ IN _ 27 mark _ _ 26 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 27 nsubj _ _ 27 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 28 : : PUNCT : _ 32 punct _ _ 29 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 32 advmod _ _ 30 suddenly suddenly ADV RB _ 32 advmod _ _ 31 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 32 nsubj _ _ 32 let let VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ _ 33 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 32 xcomp _ _ 34 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 35 det _ _ 35 string string NOUN NN Number=Sing 33 obj _ _ 36 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 37 nsubj _ _ 37 held hold VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 35 acl:relcl _ _ 38 in in ADP IN _ 40 case _ _ 39 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 40 nmod:poss _ _ 40 hand hand NOUN NN Number=Sing 37 obl _ _ 41 in in SCONJ IN ExtPos=SCONJ 44 mark _ _ 42 order order NOUN NN Number=Sing 41 fixed _ _ 43 to to PART TO _ 44 mark _ _ 44 get get VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 33 advcl _ _ 45 loose loose ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 44 xcomp _ _ 46 from from ADP IN _ 48 case _ _ 47 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 48 det _ _ 48 sledge sledge NOUN NN Number=Sing 45 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 49 , , PUNCT , _ 55 punct _ _ 50 but but CCONJ CC _ 55 cc _ _ 51 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 55 nsubj _ _ 52 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 55 cop _ _ 53 of of ADP IN _ 55 case _ _ 54 no no DET DT PronType=Neg 55 det _ _ 55 use use NOUN NN Number=Sing 32 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 56 ; ; PUNCT , _ 60 punct _ _ 57 still still ADV RB _ 60 advmod _ _ 58 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 60 det _ _ 59 little little ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 60 amod _ _ 60 vehicle vehicle NOUN NN Number=Sing 32 obl _ _ 61 rushed rush VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 60 acl _ _ 62 on on ADP RP _ 61 compound:prt _ _ 63 with with ADP IN _ 65 case _ _ 64 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 65 det _ _ 65 quickness quickness NOUN NN Number=Sing 61 obl _ _ 66 of of ADP IN _ 68 case _ _ 67 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 68 det _ _ 68 wind wind NOUN NN Number=Sing 65 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 69 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **begin** | past | the snow | | | | then | | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality | | 2 | **fall** | to-infinitive | the snow *not said here* | | | | | thickly *property* | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 3 | **not** **see** | could | the little boy | a arm's length | | | before other | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer length=Stimulus | | 4 | **go** | past | other | | | | still | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 5 | **let** | past | other | the little vehicle | | | | suddenly *property* | tree rules | | 6 | **go** | infinitive | the little vehicle *not said here* | the string | | | | | vn meander-47.7 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location string=Theme | | 7 | **hold** | past | other | the string *not said here* | | other's hand | | | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent string=Theme in hand=Location | | 8 | **get** | to-infinitive | the little vehicle *not said here* | | | | | loose *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | | 9 | **is** | past | sledge | | | | | of no use | tree rules | | 10 | **rush on** | participle | | the little vehicle *not said here* | | | | with the quickness of the wind | vn rush-53.2 «NP V PP.eventuality»: agent=Agent with quickness=Eventuality | 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 94](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/11/94/) - next →: [sentence 96](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/11/96/) - ↑ back to [The Snow Queen, part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/11/)