--- title: When they had picked themselves out and thumped each other on the ba… — The Book of Dragons · tree and pragmatics description: When they had picked themselves out and thumped each other on the back to get rid of the snow, they shaded their eyes and looked, and there, right in front of them, was the wonder of wonders--the North Pole--towering high and white and glistening, like an ice-lighthouse, and it was quite, quite clos --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/8/29/) [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 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/8/) / 29 # The Book of Dragons, Opening, part 8, sentence 29 When they had picked themselves out and thumped each other on the back to get rid of the snow, they shaded their eyes and looked, and there, right in front of them, was the wonder of wonders--the North Pole--towering high and white and glistening, like an ice-lighthouse, and it was quite, quite close, so that you had to put your head as far back as it would go, and farther, before you could see the high top of it. **Who acts:** moth, snow, you · **What happens:** pick out, thump, get, shade, look, be · **To what, where:** moth, each, eyes, wonder, head, high top This is a sentence of «The Book of Dragons» by E. Nesbit, Opening, part 8. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (moth, snow, you), 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:pg23661:8:29 # text = When they had picked themselves out and thumped each other on the back to get rid of the snow, they shaded their eyes and looked, and there, right in front of them, was the wonder of wonders--the North Pole--towering high and white and glistening, like an ice-lighthouse, and it was quite, quite close, so that you had to put your head as far back as it would go, and farther, before you could see the high top of it. 1 When when SCONJ WRB _ 4 mark _ _ 2 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 4 picked pick VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 22 advcl _ _ 5 themselves themselves PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 4 obj _ _ 6 out out ADP RP _ 4 compound:prt _ _ 7 and and CCONJ CC _ 8 cc _ _ 8 thumped thump VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ _ 9 each each DET DT ExtPos=PRON|PronType=Rcp 8 obj _ _ 10 other other ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 9 fixed _ _ 11 on on ADP IN _ 13 case _ _ 12 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 13 back back NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obl _ _ 14 to to PART TO _ 15 mark _ _ 15 get get VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 8 advcl _ _ 16 rid rid ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 15 xcomp _ _ 17 of of ADP IN _ 19 case _ _ 18 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 19 det _ _ 19 snow snow NOUN NN Number=Sing 16 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 20 , , PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ _ 21 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 22 nsubj _ _ 22 shaded shade VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 23 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 24 nmod:poss _ _ 24 eyes eye NOUN NNS Number=Plur 22 obj _ _ 25 and and CCONJ CC _ 26 cc _ _ 26 looked look VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 22 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 27 , , PUNCT , _ 29 punct _ _ 28 and and CCONJ CC _ 29 cc _ _ 29 there there ADV RB PronType=Dem 26 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 30 , , PUNCT , _ 33 punct _ _ 31 right right ADV RB _ 33 advmod _ _ 32 in in ADP IN _ 33 case _ _ 33 front front NOUN NN Number=Sing 26 obl _ _ 34 of of ADP IN _ 35 case _ _ 35 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 33 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 36 , , PUNCT , _ 39 punct _ _ 37 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 39 cop _ _ 38 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 39 det _ _ 39 wonder wonder NOUN NN Number=Sing 22 obl _ _ 40 of of ADP IN _ 41 case _ _ 41 wonders wonder NOUN NNS Number=Plur 39 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 42 -- -- PUNCT , _ 45 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 43 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 45 det _ _ 44 North North PROPN NNP Number=Sing 45 compound _ _ 45 Pole Pole PROPN NNP Number=Sing 41 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 46 -- -- PUNCT , _ 47 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 47 towering tower VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 22 advcl _ _ 48 high high ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 47 xcomp _ _ 49 and and CCONJ CC _ 50 cc _ _ 50 white white ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 48 conj _ _ 51 and and CCONJ CC _ 52 cc _ _ 52 glistening glisten VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 47 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 53 , , PUNCT , _ 58 punct _ _ 54 like like ADP IN _ 58 case _ _ 55 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 58 det _ _ 56 ice ice NOUN NN Number=Sing 58 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 57 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 56 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 58 lighthouse lighthouse NOUN NN Number=Sing 52 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 59 , , PUNCT , _ 66 punct _ _ 60 and and CCONJ CC _ 66 cc _ _ 61 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 66 nsubj _ _ 62 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 66 cop _ _ 63 quite quite ADV RB _ 66 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 64 , , PUNCT , _ 66 punct _ _ 65 quite quite ADV RB _ 66 advmod _ _ 66 close close ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 22 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 67 , , PUNCT , _ 71 punct _ _ 68 so so SCONJ IN ExtPos=SCONJ 71 mark _ _ 69 that that SCONJ IN _ 68 fixed _ _ 70 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 71 nsubj _ _ 71 had have VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 22 conj _ _ 72 to to PART TO _ 73 mark _ _ 73 put put VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 71 xcomp _ _ 74 your your PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 75 nmod:poss _ _ 75 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 73 obj _ _ 76 as as ADV RB _ 77 advmod _ _ 77 far far ADV RB Degree=Pos 78 advmod _ _ 78 back back ADV RB _ 73 advmod _ _ 79 as as SCONJ IN _ 82 mark _ _ 80 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 82 nsubj _ _ 81 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 82 aux _ _ 82 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 73 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 83 , , PUNCT , _ 85 punct _ _ 84 and and CCONJ CC _ 85 cc _ _ 85 farther far ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 22 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 86 , , PUNCT , _ 90 punct _ _ 87 before before SCONJ IN _ 90 mark _ _ 88 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 90 nsubj _ _ 89 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 90 aux _ _ 90 see see VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 85 parataxis _ _ 91 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 93 det _ _ 92 high high ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 93 amod _ _ 93 top top NOUN NN Number=Sing 90 obj _ _ 94 of of ADP IN _ 95 case _ _ 95 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 93 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 96 . . PUNCT . _ 22 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **pick out** | past · perfect · passive | | moth | | | | | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP.beneficiary NP»: subject=Beneficiary themselves=Theme | | 2 | **thump** | past | | each | | | | on the back | vn hit-18.1 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent each=Instrument on back=Patient | | 3 | **get** | to-infinitive | | | | | | rid *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | | 4 | **shade** | past | moth | moth's eyes | | | | | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent eye=Beneficiary | | 5 | **look** | past | moth *not said here* | | | there | | in front of moth | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent in front=Theme | | 6 | **is a** | past | | the wonder | | | | of wonders the North Pole | tree rules | | 7 | **tower** | gerund | moth *not said here* | | | | | high *property* | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 8 | **glisten** | gerund | moth *not said here* | | | | | like a ice lighthouse | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 9 | **is** | past | snow | | | | | close *property* | tree rules | | 10 | **have** | past | you | | | | | | tree rules | | 11 | **put** | to-infinitive | you *not said here* | your head | | | | | vn invest-13.5.4-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent head=Goal | | 12 | **go** | would | snow | | | | | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 13 | **see** | could | you | the high top of snow | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer top=Stimulus | 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 28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/8/28/) - next →: [sentence 30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/8/30/) - ↑ back to [Opening, part 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/8/)