--- title: This is a difficult question, because it is quite impossible to say… — Peter Pan · tree and pragmatics description: This is a difficult question, because it is quite impossible to say how time does wear on in the Neverland, where it is calculated by moons and suns, and there are ever so many more of them than on the mainland. Who acts: This, time, moons, many. A sentence of «Peter Pan» by J. M. Barrie, Chapter VI --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg16/8/40/) [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/) / [Peter Pan](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg16/) / [Chapter VII. THE HOME UNDER THE GROUND](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg16/8/) / 40 # Peter Pan, Chapter VII. THE HOME UNDER THE GROUND, sentence 40 This is a difficult question, because it is quite impossible to say how time does wear on in the Neverland, where it is calculated by moons and suns, and there are ever so many more of them than on the mainland. **Who acts:** This, time, moons, many · **What happens:** be, say, wear on, calculate · **To what, where:** difficult question, Neverland · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Peter Pan» by J. M. Barrie, Chapter VII. THE HOME UNDER THE GROUND. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (This, time, moons, many), 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:pg16:8:40 # text = This is a difficult question, because it is quite impossible to say how time does wear on in the Neverland, where it is calculated by moons and suns, and there are ever so many more of them than on the mainland. 1 This this PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 5 nsubj _ _ 2 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 3 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 4 difficult difficult ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 amod _ _ 5 question question NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 11 punct _ _ 7 because because SCONJ IN _ 11 mark _ _ 8 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 expl _ _ 9 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 11 cop _ _ 10 quite quite ADV RB _ 11 advmod _ _ 11 impossible impossible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 conj _ _ 12 to to PART TO _ 13 mark _ _ 13 say say VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 11 csubj _ _ 14 how how ADV WRB PronType=Int 17 advmod _ _ 15 time time NOUN NN Number=Sing 17 nsubj _ _ 16 does do AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 17 aux _ _ 17 wear wear VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 13 ccomp _ _ 18 on on ADP RP _ 17 compound:prt _ _ 19 in in ADP IN _ 21 case _ _ 20 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 21 Neverland Neverland PROPN NNP Number=Sing 17 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 26 punct _ _ 23 where where ADV WRB PronType=Rel 26 advmod _ _ 24 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 26 nsubj:pass _ _ 25 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 26 aux:pass _ _ 26 calculated calculate VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 21 parataxis _ _ 27 by by ADP IN _ 28 case _ _ 28 moons moon NOUN NNS Number=Plur 26 obl _ _ 29 and and CCONJ CC _ 30 cc _ _ 30 suns sun NOUN NNS Number=Plur 28 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 31 , , PUNCT , _ 34 punct _ _ 32 and and CCONJ CC _ 34 cc _ _ 33 there there PRON EX PronType=Dem 34 expl _ _ 34 are be VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 parataxis _ _ 35 ever ever ADV RB PronType=Ind 37 advmod _ _ 36 so so ADV RB _ 37 advmod _ _ 37 many many ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 34 nsubj _ _ 38 more more ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 37 advmod _ _ 39 of of ADP IN _ 40 case _ _ 40 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 38 nmod _ _ 41 than than ADP IN _ 44 case _ _ 42 on on ADP IN _ 44 case _ _ 43 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 44 det _ _ 44 mainland mainland NOUN NN Number=Sing 38 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 45 . . PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | This | a difficult question | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **is** | present | This *not said here* | | | | | impossible *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 4 | **wear on** | present · do-support | time | | | the Neverland | | | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V PP-Conative»: agent=Agent | | 5 | **calculate** | present · passive | moons and suns | Neverland | | | | | tree rules | | 6 | **be** | present | many | | | there | | | vn exist-47.1 «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:** «Peter Pan» by J. M. Barrie, Project Gutenberg book 16 (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 39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg16/8/39/) - next →: [sentence 41](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg16/8/41/) - ↑ back to [Chapter VII. THE HOME UNDER THE GROUND](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg16/8/)