---
title: It is old, very old, as we have already observed; it was there long… — Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen · tree and pragmatics
description: It is old, very old, as we have already observed; it was there long before grandmother's grandmother was born; and yet it is but a child in comparison with the Au-mann, who is quite an old quiet personage, an oddity, with his hose of eel-skin, and his scaly Jacket with the yellow lilies for buttons,
---

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# Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, The Bell-deep, sentence 16

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is old, very old, as we have already observed; it was there long before grandmother's grandmother was born; and yet it is but a child in comparison with the Au-mann, who is quite an old quiet personage, an oddity, with his hose of eel-skin, and his scaly Jacket with the yellow lilies for buttons, and a wreath of reed in his hair and seaweed in his beard; but he looks very pretty for all that.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Bell, we, comparison, mann · **What happens:** be, observe, bear, look · **To what, where:** grandmother, child, comparison, old quiet personage

<!-- .vabout -->
This is a sentence of «Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen» by H. C. Andersen, The Bell-deep. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Bell, we, comparison, mann), 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:pg27200:10:16
# text = It is old, very old, as we have already observed; it was there long before grandmother's grandmother was born; and yet it is but a child in comparison with the Au-mann, who is quite an old quiet personage, an oddity, with his hose of eel-skin, and his scaly Jacket with the yellow lilies for buttons, and a wreath of reed in his hair and seaweed in his beard; but he looks very pretty for all that.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	very	very	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
9	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
10	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	12	aux	_	_
11	already	already	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
12	observed	observe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
14	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	_
15	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
16	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	3	conj	_	_
17	long	long	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	23	advmod	_	_
18	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	23	mark	_	_
19	grandmother	grandmother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	21	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	's	's	PART	POS	_	19	case	_	_
21	grandmother	grandmother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	23	nsubj:pass	_	_
22	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	23	aux:pass	_	_
23	born	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	16	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	31	punct	_	_
25	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	31	cc	_	_
26	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	31	advmod	_	_
27	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	31	nsubj	_	_
28	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	31	cop	_	_
29	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	31	cc	_	_
30	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	31	det	_	_
31	child	child	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
32	in	in	ADP	IN	_	33	case	_	_
33	comparison	comparison	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	31	nmod	_	_
34	with	with	ADP	IN	_	36	case	_	_
35	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	36	det	_	_
36	Au	Au	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	33	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
37	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	38	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
38	mann	Mann	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	36	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
39	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	46	punct	_	_
40	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	46	nsubj	_	_
41	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	46	cop	_	_
42	quite	quite	ADV	RB	_	46	advmod	_	_
43	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	46	det	_	_
44	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	46	amod	_	_
45	quiet	quiet	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	46	amod	_	_
46	personage	personage	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	33	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
47	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	49	punct	_	_
48	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	49	det	_	_
49	oddity	oddity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	46	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
50	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	53	punct	_	_
51	with	with	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	hose	hose	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	49	appos	_	_
54	of	of	ADP	IN	_	57	case	_	_
55	eel	eel	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	57	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
56	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	55	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
57	skin	skin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	53	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
58	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	62	punct	_	_
59	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	62	cc	_	_
60	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	62	nmod:poss	_	_
61	scaly	scaly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	62	amod	_	_
62	Jacket	jacket	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	31	appos	_	_
63	with	with	ADP	IN	_	66	case	_	_
64	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	66	det	_	_
65	yellow	yellow	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	66	amod	_	_
66	lilies	lily	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	62	nmod	_	_
67	for	for	ADP	IN	_	68	case	_	_
68	buttons	button	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	66	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
69	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	72	punct	_	_
70	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	72	cc	_	_
71	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	72	det	_	_
72	wreath	wreath	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	31	conj	_	_
73	of	of	ADP	IN	_	74	case	_	_
74	reed	reed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	72	nmod	_	_
75	in	in	ADP	IN	_	77	case	_	_
76	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	77	nmod:poss	_	_
77	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	72	nmod	_	_
78	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	79	cc	_	_
79	seaweed	seaweed	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	77	conj	_	_
80	in	in	ADP	IN	_	82	case	_	_
81	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	82	nmod:poss	_	_
82	beard	beard	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	79	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
83	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	86	punct	_	_
84	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	86	cc	_	_
85	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	86	nsubj	_	_
86	looks	look	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
87	very	very	ADV	RB	_	88	advmod	_	_
88	pretty	pretty	ADV	RB	_	86	advmod	_	_
89	for	for	ADP	IN	_	90	case	_	_
90	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	86	conj	_	_
91	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	90	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
92	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Bell |  |  |  |  | old *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | Bell *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 3 | **observe** | present · perfect | we |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **is** | past | Bell |  |  |  |  | there *property* | tree rules |
| 5 | **bear** | past · passive |  | grandmother's grandmother |  |  |  | long *property* | vn birth-28.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |
| 6 | **is a** | present | Bell | a child and a wreath of reed in mann's hair and seaweed in mann's beard |  | comparison with the Au and mann and a old quiet personage | yet |  | tree rules |
| 7 | **is a** | present | comparison with the Au and mann and a old quiet personage | a old quiet personage |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 8 | **look** | present | mann |  |  |  |  | pretty *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus |

<!-- .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:** «Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen» by H. C. Andersen, Project Gutenberg book 27200 (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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