--- title: “I will not say for a certainty that he can,” said the shadow, “but… — Andersen's Fairy Tales · tree and pragmatics description: “I will not say for a certainty that he can,” said the shadow, “but I think so; he has now followed me for so many years, and listened to my conversation--I should think it possible. Who acts: shadow, my. A sentence of «Andersen's Fairy Tales» by H. C. Andersen, The Shadow, with its dependency tree --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/23/227/) [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 Shadow](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/23/) / 227 # Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Shadow, sentence 227 “I will not say for a certainty that he can,” said the shadow, “but I think so; he has now followed me for so many years, and listened to my conversation--I should think it possible. **Who acts:** shadow, my · **What happens:** not say, say, think, follow, listen, converse · **To what, where:** water, conversation · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Andersen's Fairy Tales» by H. C. Andersen, The Shadow. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (shadow, my), 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:pg1597:23:227 # text = “I will not say for a certainty that he can,” said the shadow, “but I think so; he has now followed me for so many years, and listened to my conversation--I should think it possible. 1 “ " PUNCT `` _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 5 nsubj _ _ 3 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 5 aux _ _ 4 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 5 advmod _ _ 5 say say VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 14 ccomp _ _ 6 for for ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 7 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 certainty certainty NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obl _ _ 9 that that SCONJ IN _ 11 mark _ _ 10 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 nsubj _ _ 11 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 8 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 12 , , PUNCT , _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 13 ” " PUNCT '' _ 5 punct _ _ 14 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 15 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 shadow shadow NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 17 , , PUNCT , _ 21 punct _ _ 18 “ " PUNCT `` _ 21 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 19 but but CCONJ CC _ 21 cc _ _ 20 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 21 nsubj _ _ 21 think think VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 14 conj _ _ 22 so so ADV RB _ 21 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 23 ; ; PUNCT : _ 27 punct _ _ 24 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 27 nsubj:pass _ _ 25 has have AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 27 aux _ _ 26 now now ADV RB PronType=Dem 27 advmod _ _ 27 followed follow VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 14 conj _ _ 28 me I PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 27 obj _ _ 29 for for ADP IN _ 32 case _ _ 30 so so ADV RB _ 31 advmod _ _ 31 many many ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 32 amod _ _ 32 years year NOUN NNS Number=Plur 27 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 33 , , PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 34 and and CCONJ CC _ 35 cc _ _ 35 listened listen VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 14 parataxis _ _ 36 to to ADP IN _ 38 case _ _ 37 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 38 nmod:poss _ _ 38 conversation conversation NOUN NN Number=Sing 35 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 39 -- -- PUNCT , _ 42 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 40 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 42 nsubj _ _ 41 should should AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 42 aux _ _ 42 think think VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 14 conj _ _ 43 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 42 obj _ _ 44 possible possible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 42 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 45 . . PUNCT . _ 14 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **not** **say** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | future | the shadow *= shadow* | | | | | for a certainty | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the shadow | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 3 | **think** *speech: other* *in a quote* | present | the shadow *= shadow* | | | | | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 4 | **follow** *in a quote* | present · perfect · passive | | water | | | now; year | | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP.attribute»: subject=Theme i=Attribute | | 5 | **listen** *in a quote* | past | | | | | | to my conversation | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent to conversation=Theme | | 6 | **think** *speech: other* *in a quote* | should | the shadow *= shadow* | conversation | | | | possible *property* | vn wish-62 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot it=Theme | | 7 | **converse** *in a quote* | | my | | | | | | nom conversation «communication intransitive»: 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:** «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 226](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/23/226/) - next →: [sentence 228](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/23/228/) - ↑ back to [The Shadow](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/23/)