--- title: And the old man--it was Death himself--he nodded so strangely, it co… — Andersen's Fairy Tales · tree and pragmatics description: And the old man--it was Death himself--he nodded so strangely, it could just as well signify yes as no. And the mother looked down in her lap, and the tears ran down over her cheeks; her head became so heavy--she had not closed her eyes for three days and nights; and now she slept, but only for a mi --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/21/9/) [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 Story of a Mother](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/21/) / 9 # Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Story of a Mother, sentence 9 And the old man--it was Death himself--he nodded so strangely, it could just as well signify yes as no. And the mother looked down in her lap, and the tears ran down over her cheeks; her head became so heavy--she had not closed her eyes for three days and nights; and now she slept, but only for a minute, when she started up and trembled with cold. **Who acts:** child, old man, no., tears, head · **What happens:** be, nod, signify, look down, run down, become · **To what, where:** Death, cheeks, eyes This is a sentence of «Andersen's Fairy Tales» by H. C. Andersen, The Story of a Mother. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (child, old man, no., tears), 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:pg1597:21:9 # text = And the old man--it was Death himself--he nodded so strangely, it could just as well signify yes as no. And the mother looked down in her lap, and the tears ran down over her cheeks; her head became so heavy--she had not closed her eyes for three days and nights; and now she slept, but only for a minute, when she started up and trembled with cold. 1 And and CCONJ CC _ 12 cc _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 old old ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 5 -- -- PUNCT , _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 8 nsubj _ _ 7 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 cop _ _ 8 Death Death PROPN NNP Number=Sing 4 appos _ _ 9 himself himself PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 8 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 10 -- -- PUNCT , _ 12 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 12 nsubj _ _ 12 nodded nod VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 13 so so ADV RB _ 14 advmod _ _ 14 strangely strangely ADV RB _ 12 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 15 , , PUNCT , _ 21 punct _ _ 16 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 21 nsubj _ _ 17 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 21 aux _ _ 18 just just ADV RB _ 21 advmod _ _ 19 as as ADV RB ExtPos=ADV 21 advmod _ _ 20 well well ADV RB Degree=Pos 19 fixed _ _ 21 signify signify VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 12 conj _ _ 22 yes yes INTJ UH Polarity=Pos 21 discourse _ _ 23 as as SCONJ IN _ 28 mark _ _ 24 no. no. NOUN NN Abbr=Yes|Number=Sing 28 nsubj _ _ 25 And and CCONJ CC _ 27 cc _ _ 26 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 27 det _ _ 27 mother mother NOUN NN Number=Sing 24 conj _ _ 28 looked look VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 21 advcl _ _ 29 down down ADP RP _ 28 compound:prt _ _ 30 in in ADP IN _ 32 case _ _ 31 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 32 nmod:poss _ _ 32 lap lap NOUN NN Number=Sing 28 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 33 , , PUNCT , _ 37 punct _ _ 34 and and CCONJ CC _ 37 cc _ _ 35 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 36 det _ _ 36 tears tear NOUN NNS Number=Plur 37 nsubj _ _ 37 ran run VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 12 conj _ _ 38 down down ADV RB _ 37 advmod _ _ 39 over over ADP IN _ 41 case _ _ 40 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 41 nmod:poss _ _ 41 cheeks cheek NOUN NNS Number=Plur 37 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 42 ; ; PUNCT , _ 45 punct _ _ 43 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 44 nmod:poss _ _ 44 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 45 nsubj _ _ 45 became become VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 12 parataxis _ _ 46 so so ADV RB _ 47 advmod _ _ 47 heavy heavy ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 45 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 48 -- -- PUNCT , _ 52 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 49 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 52 nsubj _ _ 50 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 52 aux _ _ 51 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 52 advmod _ _ 52 closed close VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 45 conj _ _ 53 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 54 nmod:poss _ _ 54 eyes eye NOUN NNS Number=Plur 52 obj _ _ 55 for for ADP IN _ 57 case _ _ 56 three three NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 57 nummod _ _ 57 days day NOUN NNS Number=Plur 52 obl _ _ 58 and and CCONJ CC _ 59 cc _ _ 59 nights night NOUN NNS Number=Plur 57 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 60 ; ; PUNCT : _ 64 punct _ _ 61 and and CCONJ CC _ 64 cc _ _ 62 now now ADV RB PronType=Dem 64 advmod _ _ 63 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 64 nsubj _ _ 64 slept sleep VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 12 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 65 , , PUNCT , _ 70 punct _ _ 66 but but CCONJ CC _ 70 cc _ _ 67 only only ADV RB _ 70 advmod _ _ 68 for for ADP IN _ 70 case _ _ 69 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 70 det _ _ 70 minute minute NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 71 , , PUNCT , _ 74 punct _ _ 72 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 74 advmod _ _ 73 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 74 nsubj _ _ 74 started start VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 70 parataxis _ _ 75 up up ADP RP _ 74 compound:prt _ _ 76 and and CCONJ CC _ 77 cc _ _ 77 trembled tremble VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 74 conj _ _ 78 with with ADP IN _ 79 case _ _ 79 cold cold ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 77 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 80 . . PUNCT . _ 12 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | past | child | Death | | | | man *nmod* | tree rules | | 2 | **nod** | past | the old man | | | | | strangely *property* | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **signify** | could | child | | | | | | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot | | 4 | **look down** | past | no. and the mother | | | | | in mother's lap | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent in lap=Theme | | 5 | **run down** | past | the tears | | | mother's cheeks | | down *property* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme over cheek=Trajectory | | 6 | **become** | past | mother's head | | | | | heavy *property* | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient | | 7 | **not** **close** | past · perfect | head | mother's eyes | | | day | | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent eye=Patient | | 8 | **sleep** | past | head | | | | now | | vn snooze-40.4-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 9 | **start up** | past | head | | | | | | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality | | 10 | **tremble** | participle | head *not said here* | | | | | with cold | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme | 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 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/21/8/) - next →: [sentence 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/21/10/) - ↑ back to [The Story of a Mother](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/21/)