--- title: Meanwhile he was haunted by the idea--he should like to possess such… — Andersen's Fairy Tales · tree and pragmatics description: Meanwhile he was haunted by the idea--he should like to possess such a pair of spectacles himself; then, perhaps, by using them circumspectly, one would be able to look into people's hearts, which, he thought, would be far more interesting than merely to see what was to happen next year; for that we --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/7/58/) [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 Shoes of Fortune, part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/7/) / 58 # Andersen's Fairy Tales, The Shoes of Fortune, part 3, sentence 58 Meanwhile he was haunted by the idea--he should like to possess such a pair of spectacles himself; then, perhaps, by using them circumspectly, one would be able to look into people's hearts, which, he thought, would be far more interesting than merely to see what was to happen next year; for that we should all know in proper time, but the other never. **Who acts:** idea, beginning, one, we · **What happens:** haunt, like, possess, use, be, look · **To what, where:** beginning, pair, spectacles, hearts · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Andersen's Fairy Tales» by H. C. Andersen, The Shoes of Fortune, part 3. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (idea, beginning, one, we), 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:pg1597:7:58 # text = Meanwhile he was haunted by the idea--he should like to possess such a pair of spectacles himself; then, perhaps, by using them circumspectly, one would be able to look into people's hearts, which, he thought, would be far more interesting than merely to see what was to happen next year; for that we should all know in proper time, but the other never. 1 Meanwhile meanwhile ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 2 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 3 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux:pass _ _ 4 haunted haunt VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 11 advcl _ _ 5 by by ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 idea idea NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 8 -- -- PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 9 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 nsubj _ _ 10 should should AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 11 aux _ _ 11 like like VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 12 to to PART TO _ 13 mark _ _ 13 possess possess VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 11 xcomp _ _ 14 such such DET PDT PronType=Ind 16 det:predet _ _ 15 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 pair pair NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 obj _ _ 17 of of ADP IN _ 18 case _ _ 18 spectacles spectacle NOUN NNS Number=Plur 16 nmod _ _ 19 himself himself PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Emp|Reflex=Yes 18 nmod:unmarked _ SpaceAfter=No 20 ; ; PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 21 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 23 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 23 perhaps perhaps ADV RB _ 11 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 24 , , PUNCT , _ 26 punct _ _ 25 by by SCONJ IN _ 26 mark _ _ 26 using use VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 11 advcl _ _ 27 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 26 obj _ _ 28 circumspectly circumspectly ADV RB _ 26 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 29 , , PUNCT , _ 33 punct _ _ 30 one one PRON PRP Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 33 nsubj _ _ 31 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 33 aux _ _ 32 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 33 cop _ _ 33 able able ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 parataxis _ _ 34 to to PART TO _ 35 mark _ _ 35 look look VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 33 xcomp _ _ 36 into into ADP IN _ 39 case _ _ 37 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 39 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 38 's 's PART POS _ 37 case _ _ 39 hearts heart NOUN NNS Number=Plur 35 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 40 , , PUNCT , _ 44 punct _ _ 41 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 44 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 42 , , PUNCT , _ 41 punct _ _ 43 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 44 nsubj _ _ 44 thought think VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 39 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 45 , , PUNCT , _ 50 punct _ _ 46 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 50 aux _ _ 47 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 50 cop _ _ 48 far far ADV RB Degree=Pos 49 advmod _ _ 49 more more ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 50 advmod _ _ 50 interesting interesting ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 33 conj _ _ 51 than than ADP IN _ 52 case _ _ 52 merely merely ADV RB _ 50 obl _ _ 53 to to PART TO _ 54 mark _ _ 54 see see VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 50 advcl _ _ 55 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 58 nsubj _ _ 56 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 58 aux _ _ 57 to to PART TO _ 58 mark _ _ 58 happen happen VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 54 ccomp _ _ 59 next next ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 60 amod _ _ 60 year year NOUN NN Number=Sing 58 obl:unmarked _ SpaceAfter=No 61 ; ; PUNCT : _ 67 punct _ _ 62 for for ADP IN _ 63 case _ _ 63 that that PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 67 obl _ _ 64 we we PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 67 nsubj _ _ 65 should should AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 67 aux _ _ 66 all all ADV RB _ 67 advmod _ _ 67 know know VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 11 conj _ _ 68 in in ADP IN _ 70 case _ _ 69 proper proper ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 70 amod _ _ 70 time time NOUN NN Number=Sing 67 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 71 , , PUNCT , _ 74 punct _ _ 72 but but CCONJ CC _ 74 cc _ _ 73 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 74 det _ _ 74 other other ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 parataxis _ _ 75 never never ADV RB PronType=Neg 74 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 76 . . PUNCT . _ 11 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **haunt** | past · passive | the idea | beginning | | | | meanwhile *property* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus subject=Experiencer | | 2 | **like** | should | beginning | | | | | perhaps *property* | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme | | 3 | **possess** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | beginning *not said here* | such pair of spectacles beginning | | | | | vn own-100.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Pivot pair=Theme | | 4 | **use** | gerund | beginning *not said here* | spectacles *= spectacle* | | | | circumspectly *property* | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Patient | | 5 | **is** | would | one | | | | | able *property* | tree rules | | 6 | **look** | to-infinitive | one *not said here* | | | | | into people's hearts | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent into heart=Theme | | 7 | **think** *speech: other* | past | beginning | people's hearts | | | | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 8 | **is** | would | one *not said here* | | | | | interesting *property* | tree rules | | 9 | **see** | to-infinitive | one *not said here* | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 10 | **happen** | past | | | | | year | | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 11 | **know** | should | we | | | | time | for that; all *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer | 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 57](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/7/57/) - next →: [sentence 59](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/7/59/) - ↑ back to [The Shoes of Fortune, part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/7/)