---
title: So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat… — Grimms' Fairy Tales · tree and pragmatics
description: So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it, and said to the mouse: ‘I want to tell you something, little mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him
---

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# Grimms' Fairy Tales, Cat and Mouse in Partnership, sentence 6

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it, and said to the mouse: ‘I want to tell you something, little mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him over the font at the christening.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** pot, cat, I, advice · **What happens:** place, not be, have, say, want, tell · **To what, where:** pot, safety, great yearning, mouse, something, you · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is a sentence of «Grimms' Fairy Tales» by Jacob Grimm, Cat and Mouse in Partnership. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (pot, cat, I, advice), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree.

<!-- .note-en -->
**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:pg2591:14:6
# text = So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it, and said to the mouse: ‘I want to tell you something, little mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him over the font at the christening.
1	So	so	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	pot	pot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	placed	place	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	safety	safety	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
9	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	13	cc	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	13	nsubj	_	_
11	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	cop	_	_
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	13	advmod	_	_
13	long	long	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	5	advmod	_	_
14	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
17	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	13	advcl	_	_
18	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
19	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	amod	_	_
20	yearning	yearning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obj	_	_
21	for	for	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
22	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	20	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	25	punct	_	_
24	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	25	cc	_	_
25	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	17	conj	_	_
26	to	to	ADP	IN	_	28	case	_	_
27	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	28	det	_	_
28	mouse	mouse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	25	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	32	punct	_	_
30	‘	'	PUNCT	``	_	32	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
31	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	32	nsubj	_	_
32	want	want	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
33	to	to	PART	TO	_	34	mark	_	_
34	tell	tell	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	32	xcomp	_	_
35	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	34	iobj	_	_
36	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	34	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
37	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	39	punct	_	_
38	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	39	amod	_	_
39	mouse	mouse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	36	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
40	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	44	punct	_	_
41	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	42	nmod:poss	_	_
42	cousin	cousin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	44	nsubj:pass	_	_
43	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	44	aux	_	_
44	brought	bring	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	32	conj	_	_
45	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	47	det	_	_
46	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	47	amod	_	_
47	son	son	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	44	obj	_	_
48	into	into	ADP	IN	_	50	case	_	_
49	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	50	det	_	_
50	world	world	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	44	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
51	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	54	punct	_	_
52	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	54	cc	_	_
53	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	54	aux	_	_
54	asked	ask	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	44	parataxis	_	_
55	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	54	iobj	_	_
56	to	to	PART	TO	_	58	mark	_	_
57	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	58	cop	_	_
58	godmother	godmother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	54	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
59	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	62	punct	_	_
60	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	62	nsubj	_	_
61	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	62	cop	_	_
62	white	white	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	parataxis	_	_
63	with	with	ADP	IN	_	65	case	_	_
64	brown	brown	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	65	amod	_	_
65	spots	spot	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	62	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
66	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	69	punct	_	_
67	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	69	cc	_	_
68	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	69	nsubj	_	_
69	am	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	62	parataxis	_	_
70	to	to	PART	TO	_	71	mark	_	_
71	hold	hold	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	69	xcomp	_	_
72	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	71	obj	_	_
73	over	over	ADP	IN	_	75	case	_	_
74	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	75	det	_	_
75	font	font	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	71	obl	_	_
76	at	at	ADP	IN	_	78	case	_	_
77	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	78	det	_	_
78	christening	christening	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	71	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
79	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **place** | past · passive |  | the pot |  | safety |  |  | vn put-9.1-2 «NP V NP PP.destination»: subject=Theme in safety=Destination |
| 2 | **not** **is** | past | pot |  |  |  |  | long *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **have** | past | the cat | a great yearning |  |  |  | for pot | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent yearning=Patient |
| 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the cat *not said here* |  | the mouse |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V PP.recipient S-Quote»: agent=Agent to mouse=Recipient |
| 5 | **want** | present | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 6 | **tell** *speech: assert* *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | I *not said here* | something | you |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent you=Recipient something=Topic |
| 7 | **bring** | present · perfect · passive |  | my cousin |  | the world |  |  | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP ADVP»: subject=Theme son=Destination |
| 8 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present · perfect |  |  | me |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent i=Recipient |
| 9 | **is a** | to-infinitive |  | godmother |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 10 | **is** | present | advice |  |  |  |  | with brown spots; white *property* | tree rules |
| 11 | **hold** | to-infinitive | advice *not said here* | advice |  | the font |  | at the christening | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent he=Theme over font=Location |

<!-- .note -->
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.

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**Text:** «Grimms' Fairy Tales» by Jacob Grimm, Project Gutenberg book 2591 (public domain in the USA). **Tree:** Mova's own parse, Elamur Cosmic License. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), the chapter read in order.

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