--- title: This was an ever-memorable event, and was always told over and over… — Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen · tree and pragmatics description: This was an ever-memorable event, and was always told over and over again every year by the General, who, moreover, always repeated the remarkable words he had used when he returned his sword to the Prince; those words were, "Only my subaltern could have taken your Highness prisoner; I could never h --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/146/46/) [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/) / [Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/) / [The Porter's Son, part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/146/) / 46 # Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, The Porter's Son, part 1, sentence 46 This was an ever-memorable event, and was always told over and over again every year by the General, who, moreover, always repeated the remarkable words he had used when he returned his sword to the Prince; those words were, "Only my subaltern could have taken your Highness prisoner; I could never have done it!" **Who acts:** This, General, memorable event · **What happens:** be, tell, repeat, use, return, take · **To what, where:** memorable event, General, remarkable words, sword, Prince, words · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen» by H. C. Andersen, The Porter's Son, part 1. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (This, General, memorable event), 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:pg27200:146:46 # text = This was an ever-memorable event, and was always told over and over again every year by the General, who, moreover, always repeated the remarkable words he had used when he returned his sword to the Prince; those words were, "Only my subaltern could have taken your Highness prisoner; I could never have done it!" 1 This this PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 7 nsubj _ _ 2 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 7 cop _ _ 3 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 4 ever ever ADV RB PronType=Ind 6 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 5 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 memorable memorable ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 amod _ _ 7 event event NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 8 , , PUNCT , _ 12 punct _ _ 9 and and CCONJ CC _ 12 cc _ _ 10 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 12 aux:pass _ _ 11 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 12 advmod _ _ 12 told tell VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 7 parataxis _ _ 13 over over ADV RB _ 12 advmod _ _ 14 and and CCONJ CC _ 15 cc _ _ 15 over over ADV RB _ 13 conj _ _ 16 again again ADV RB _ 12 advmod _ _ 17 every every DET DT PronType=Tot 18 det _ _ 18 year year NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 obl:unmarked _ _ 19 by by ADP IN _ 21 case _ _ 20 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 21 General General PROPN NNP Number=Sing 12 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 28 punct _ _ 23 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 28 nsubj:pass _ SpaceAfter=No 24 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 25 moreover moreover ADV RB _ 28 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 26 , , PUNCT , _ 28 punct _ _ 27 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 28 advmod _ _ 28 repeated repeat VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 21 acl:relcl _ _ 29 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 31 det _ _ 30 remarkable remarkable ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 31 amod _ _ 31 words word NOUN NNS Number=Plur 28 obj _ _ 32 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 34 nsubj _ _ 33 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 34 aux _ _ 34 used use VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 31 acl:relcl _ _ 35 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 37 advmod _ _ 36 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 37 nsubj _ _ 37 returned return VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 34 advcl _ _ 38 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 39 nmod:poss _ _ 39 sword sword NOUN NN Number=Sing 37 obj _ _ 40 to to ADP IN _ 42 case _ _ 41 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 42 det _ _ 42 Prince Prince PROPN NNP Number=Sing 37 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 43 ; ; PUNCT : _ 54 punct _ _ 44 those that DET DT Number=Plur|PronType=Dem 45 det _ _ 45 words word NOUN NNS Number=Plur 54 nsubj:pass _ _ 46 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 54 aux:pass _ SpaceAfter=No 47 , , PUNCT , _ 54 punct _ _ 48 " " PUNCT `` _ 54 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 49 Only only ADV RB _ 51 advmod _ _ 50 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 51 nmod:poss _ _ 51 subaltern subaltern NOUN NN Number=Sing 54 nsubj:pass _ _ 52 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 54 aux _ _ 53 have have AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 54 aux _ _ 54 taken take VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 7 acl _ _ 55 your your PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 57 nmod:poss _ _ 56 Highness highness NOUN NN Number=Sing 57 compound _ _ 57 prisoner prisoner NOUN NN Number=Sing 54 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 58 ; ; PUNCT : _ 63 punct _ _ 59 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 63 nsubj _ _ 60 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 63 aux _ _ 61 never never ADV RB PronType=Neg 63 advmod _ _ 62 have have AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 63 aux _ _ 63 done do VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 7 parataxis _ _ 64 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 63 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 65 ! ! PUNCT . _ 63 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 66 " " PUNCT '' _ 63 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | past | This | a memorable event | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past · passive | the General | | | | again; year | always, over *property* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **repeat** | participle · passive | | the General | | | | always, moreover *property* | tree rules | | 4 | **use** | past · perfect | General | the remarkable words *not said here* | | | | | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent word=Patient | | 5 | **return** | past | General | General's sword | the Prince | | | | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent sword=Theme to prince=Destination | | 6 | **take** *in a quote* | could · past · perfect · passive | a memorable event *not said here* | that words | | | | | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP ADVP»: subject=Theme prisoner=Destination | | 7 | **not** **do** *in a quote* | could · perfect | the General *= general* | subaltern | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality | 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:** «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. - ← previous: [sentence 45](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/146/45/) - next →: [sentence 47](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/146/47/) - ↑ back to [The Porter's Son, part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/146/)