--- title: “I cannot tell if the spectre lied, for never a step did I go toward… — The Crimson Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics description: “I cannot tell if the spectre lied, for never a step did I go towards finding the hollow, for two reasons:—one was that my neck was too precious for me to risk it in such a snare as that; the other, that no one could ever tell me where the spring-root was to be found.” Who acts: I, spectre, step, on --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/16/3/) [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 Crimson Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/) / [The Crimson Fairy Book, part 16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/16/) / 3 # The Crimson Fairy Book, The Crimson Fairy Book, part 16, sentence 3 “I cannot tell if the spectre lied, for never a step did I go towards finding the hollow, for two reasons:—one was that my neck was too precious for me to risk it in such a snare as that; the other, that no one could ever tell me where the spring-root was to be found.” **Who acts:** I, spectre, step, one, me · **What happens:** not tell, lie, not go, find, be, risk · **To what, where:** hollow, neck, snare, me, spring root · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Crimson Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, The Crimson Fairy Book, part 16. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (I, spectre, step, one), 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:pg2435:16:3 # text = “I cannot tell if the spectre lied, for never a step did I go towards finding the hollow, for two reasons:—one was that my neck was too precious for me to risk it in such a snare as that; the other, that no one could ever tell me where the spring-root was to be found.” 1 “ " PUNCT `` _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 2 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 5 nsubj _ _ 3 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 5 aux _ SpaceAfter=No 4 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 5 advmod _ _ 5 tell tell VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 6 if if SCONJ IN _ 9 mark _ _ 7 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 8 spectre spectre NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 nsubj _ _ 9 lied lie VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 10 , , PUNCT , _ 17 punct _ _ 11 for for SCONJ IN _ 17 mark _ _ 12 never never ADV RB PronType=Neg 17 advmod _ _ 13 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 14 det _ _ 14 step step NOUN NN Number=Sing 17 nsubj _ _ 15 did do AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 17 aux _ _ 16 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 17 nsubj _ _ 17 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 5 conj _ _ 18 towards towards SCONJ IN _ 19 mark _ _ 19 finding find VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 17 advcl _ _ 20 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 21 hollow hollow ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 19 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 23 for for ADP IN _ 25 case _ _ 24 two two NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 25 nummod _ _ 25 reasons reason NOUN NNS Number=Plur 19 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 26 : : PUNCT : _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 27 — - PUNCT : _ 35 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 28 one one NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 35 nsubj _ _ 29 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 35 cop _ _ 30 that that SCONJ IN _ 35 mark _ _ 31 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 32 nmod:poss _ _ 32 neck neck NOUN NN Number=Sing 35 nsubj _ _ 33 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 35 cop _ _ 34 too too ADV RB _ 35 advmod _ _ 35 precious precious ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 5 ccomp _ _ 36 for for SCONJ IN _ 39 mark _ _ 37 me I PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 39 nsubj _ _ 38 to to PART TO _ 39 mark _ _ 39 risk risk VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 35 advcl _ _ 40 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 39 obj _ _ 41 in in ADP IN _ 44 case _ _ 42 such such DET PDT PronType=Ind 44 det:predet _ _ 43 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 44 det _ _ 44 snare snare NOUN NN Number=Sing 39 obl _ _ 45 as as ADP IN _ 46 case _ _ 46 that that PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 39 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 47 ; ; PUNCT , _ 49 punct _ _ 48 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 49 det _ _ 49 other other ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 35 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 50 , , PUNCT , _ 56 punct _ _ 51 that that SCONJ IN _ 56 mark _ _ 52 no no DET DT PronType=Neg 53 det _ _ 53 one one NOUN NN Number=Sing 56 nsubj _ _ 54 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 56 aux _ _ 55 ever ever ADV RB PronType=Ind 56 advmod _ _ 56 tell tell VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 35 conj _ _ 57 me I PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 56 iobj _ _ 58 where where ADV WRB PronType=Rel 66 advmod _ _ 59 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 62 det _ _ 60 spring spring NOUN NN Number=Sing 62 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 61 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 60 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 62 root root NOUN NN Number=Sing 66 nsubj:pass _ _ 63 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 66 aux:pass _ _ 64 to to PART TO _ 66 mark _ _ 65 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 66 aux:pass _ _ 66 found find VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 56 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 67 . . PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 68 ” " PUNCT '' _ 5 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **not** **tell** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | can | I | | | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **lie** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | past | the spectre | | | | | | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **not** **go** *in a quote* | past · do-support | a step | | | | | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 4 | **find** *in a quote* | gerund | a step *not said here* | the hollow | | | | for two reasons | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent hollow=Theme for reason=Beneficiary | | 5 | **is** *in a quote* | past | one | | | | | precious *property* | tree rules | | 6 | **risk** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | me | neck | | such snare | | as that | vn risk-94-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Pivot | | 7 | **be** *in a quote* | | one *not said here* | | | | | | tree rules | | 8 | **tell** *speech: assert* *in a quote* | could | no one | | me | | ever | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent i=Recipient | | 9 | **find** *in a quote* | past · passive | | the spring root | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: subject=Topic | 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 Crimson Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 2435 (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 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/16/2/) - next →: [sentence 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/16/4/) - ↑ back to [The Crimson Fairy Book, part 16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/16/)