--- title: And I need hardly say that though the Prime Minister and the Chancel… — The Book of Dragons · tree and pragmatics description: And I need hardly say that though the Prime Minister and the Chancellor and the Nurse might have the very poorest opinion of Lionel's private judgement, and might even slap him and send him to bed, the minute he got on his throne and set his crown on his head, he became infallible--which means that --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/2/4/) [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/) / [The Book of Dragons](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/) / [Opening, part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/2/) / 4 # The Book of Dragons, Opening, part 2, sentence 4 And I need hardly say that though the Prime Minister and the Chancellor and the Nurse might have the very poorest opinion of Lionel's private judgement, and might even slap him and send him to bed, the minute he got on his throne and set his crown on his head, he became infallible--which means that everything he said was right, and that he couldn't possibly make a mistake. **Who acts:** I, Prime Minister, minute, Lionel, everything · **What happens:** say, have, slap, send, get, set · **To what, where:** poorest opinion, Lionel, bed, throne, crown, head · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Book of Dragons» by E. Nesbit, Opening, part 2. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (I, Prime Minister, minute, Lionel), 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:pg23661:2:4 # text = And I need hardly say that though the Prime Minister and the Chancellor and the Nurse might have the very poorest opinion of Lionel's private judgement, and might even slap him and send him to bed, the minute he got on his throne and set his crown on his head, he became infallible--which means that everything he said was right, and that he couldn't possibly make a mistake. 1 And and CCONJ CC _ 5 cc _ _ 2 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 5 nsubj _ _ 3 need need AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 aux _ _ 4 hardly hardly ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 5 say say VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 6 that that SCONJ IN _ 18 mark _ _ 7 though though SCONJ IN _ 18 mark _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 9 Prime Prime PROPN NNP _ 10 compound _ _ 10 Minister Minister PROPN NNP Number=Sing 18 nsubj _ _ 11 and and CCONJ CC _ 13 cc _ _ 12 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 13 Chancellor Chancellor PROPN NNP Number=Sing 10 conj _ _ 14 and and CCONJ CC _ 16 cc _ _ 15 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 Nurse nurse NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 conj _ _ 17 might might AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 18 aux _ _ 18 have have VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 5 ccomp _ _ 19 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 22 det _ _ 20 very very ADV RB _ 21 advmod _ _ 21 poorest poor ADJ JJS Degree=Sup 22 amod _ _ 22 opinion opinion NOUN NN Number=Sing 18 obj _ _ 23 of of ADP IN _ 27 case _ _ 24 Lionel Lionel PROPN NNP Number=Sing 27 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 25 's 's PART POS _ 24 case _ _ 26 private private ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 27 amod _ _ 27 judgement judgement NOUN NN Number=Sing 22 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 28 , , PUNCT , _ 32 punct _ _ 29 and and CCONJ CC _ 32 cc _ _ 30 might might AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 32 aux _ _ 31 even even ADV RB _ 32 advmod _ _ 32 slap slap VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 5 conj _ _ 33 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 32 obj _ _ 34 and and CCONJ CC _ 35 cc _ _ 35 send send VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 32 conj _ _ 36 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 35 obj _ _ 37 to to ADP IN _ 38 case _ _ 38 bed bed NOUN NN Number=Sing 35 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 39 , , PUNCT , _ 43 punct _ _ 40 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 41 det _ _ 41 minute minute NOUN NN Number=Sing 43 nsubj _ _ 42 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 43 nsubj _ _ 43 got get VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 parataxis _ _ 44 on on ADP IN _ 46 case _ _ 45 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 46 nmod:poss _ _ 46 throne throne NOUN NN Number=Sing 43 obl _ _ 47 and and CCONJ CC _ 48 cc _ _ 48 set set VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 43 conj _ _ 49 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 50 nmod:poss _ _ 50 crown crown NOUN NN Number=Sing 48 obj _ _ 51 on on ADP IN _ 53 case _ _ 52 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 53 nmod:poss _ _ 53 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 48 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 54 , , PUNCT , _ 56 punct _ _ 55 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 56 nsubj _ _ 56 became become VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 parataxis _ _ 57 infallible infallible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 56 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 58 -- -- PUNCT , _ 60 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 59 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 60 nsubj _ _ 60 means mean VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 57 parataxis _ _ 61 that that SCONJ IN _ 66 mark _ _ 62 everything everything PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Tot 66 nsubj _ _ 63 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 64 nsubj _ _ 64 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 62 acl:relcl _ _ 65 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 66 cop _ _ 66 right right ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 60 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 67 , , PUNCT , _ 74 punct _ _ 68 and and CCONJ CC _ 74 cc _ _ 69 that that SCONJ IN _ 74 mark _ _ 70 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 74 nsubj _ _ 71 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 74 aux _ SpaceAfter=No 72 n't not PART RB Polarity=Neg 74 advmod _ _ 73 possibly possibly ADV RB _ 74 advmod _ _ 74 make make VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 56 conj _ _ 75 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 76 det _ _ 76 mistake mistake NOUN NN Number=Sing 74 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 77 . . PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | I | | | | | hardly *property* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **have** | might | the Prime Minister and the Chancellor and the Nurse | the poorest opinion of Lionel's private judgement | | | | | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent opinion=Patient | | 3 | **slap** | might | I *not said here* | Lionel | | | | | vn hit-18.1-1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent he=Instrument | | 4 | **send** | infinitive | I *not said here* | Lionel | | bed | | | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent he=Theme to bed=Destination | | 5 | **get** | past | the minute | | | Lionel's throne | | | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent on throne=Source | | 6 | **set** | past | the minute *not said here* | Lionel's crown | | Lionel's head | | | vn put-9.1-2 «NP V PP.destination NP»: agent=Agent crown=Theme on head=Destination | | 7 | **become** | past | Lionel | | | | | infallible *property* | vn become-109.1-1-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient | | 8 | **mean** | present | | | | | | | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent | | 9 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Lionel | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **is** | past | everything | | | | | right *property* | tree rules | | 11 | **not** **make** | could | Lionel | a mistake | | | | possibly *property* | vn build-26.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mistake=Product | | 12 | **opine** | | | Lionel's private judgement | | | | | nom opinion «cognition transitive»: of=patient | | 13 | **crown** | | Lionel | | | | | | nom crown «communication transitive»: 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:** «The Book of Dragons» by E. Nesbit, Project Gutenberg book 23661 (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 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/2/3/) - next →: [sentence 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/2/5/) - ↑ back to [Opening, part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/2/)