--- title: At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single o… — Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen · tree and pragmatics description: At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single object, but a flash of lightning revealed the whole scene; she could see every one who had been on board excepting the prince; when the ship parted, she had seen him sink into the deep waves, and she was glad, for she thought he woul --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/76/9/) [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 Little Mermaid, part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/76/) / 9 # Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid, part 2, sentence 9 At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single object, but a flash of lightning revealed the whole scene; she could see every one who had been on board excepting the prince; when the ship parted, she had seen him sink into the deep waves, and she was glad, for she thought he would now be with her; and then she remembered that human beings could not live in the water, so that when he got down to her father's palace he would be quite dead. **Who acts:** crew, water, flash, one, ship, human beings · **What happens:** be, not see, reveal, see, except, part · **To what, where:** single object, whole scene, one, prince, flash, deep waves · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen» by H. C. Andersen, The Little Mermaid, part 2. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (crew, water, flash, 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:pg27200:76:9 # text = At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single object, but a flash of lightning revealed the whole scene; she could see every one who had been on board excepting the prince; when the ship parted, she had seen him sink into the deep waves, and she was glad, for she thought he would now be with her; and then she remembered that human beings could not live in the water, so that when he got down to her father's palace he would be quite dead. 1 At at ADP IN _ 3 case _ _ 2 one one NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 3 nummod _ _ 3 moment moment NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obl _ _ 4 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 7 nsubj _ _ 5 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 7 cop _ _ 6 so so ADV RB _ 7 advmod _ _ 7 pitch pitch VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 8 dark dark ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 xcomp _ _ 9 that that SCONJ IN _ 13 mark _ _ 10 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 13 nsubj _ _ 11 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 13 aux _ _ 12 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 13 advmod _ _ 13 see see VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 8 advcl _ _ 14 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 15 single single ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 16 amod _ _ 16 object object NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 17 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 18 but but CCONJ CC _ 23 cc _ _ 19 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 20 det _ _ 20 flash flash NOUN NN Number=Sing 23 nsubj _ _ 21 of of ADP IN _ 22 case _ _ 22 lightning lightning NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 nmod _ _ 23 revealed reveal VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 7 conj _ _ 24 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 26 det _ _ 25 whole whole ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 26 amod _ _ 26 scene scene NOUN NN Number=Sing 23 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 27 ; ; PUNCT : _ 30 punct _ _ 28 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 30 nsubj _ _ 29 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 30 aux _ _ 30 see see VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 7 conj _ _ 31 every every DET DT PronType=Tot 32 det _ _ 32 one one NOUN NN Number=Sing 30 obj _ _ 33 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 38 nsubj _ _ 34 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 38 aux _ _ 35 been be AUX VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 38 aux _ _ 36 on on SCONJ IN _ 38 mark _ _ 37 board board ADP IN _ 38 mark _ _ 38 excepting except VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 32 acl:relcl _ _ 39 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 40 det _ _ 40 prince prince NOUN NN Number=Sing 38 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 41 ; ; PUNCT : _ 45 punct _ _ 42 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 45 advmod _ _ 43 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 44 det _ _ 44 ship ship NOUN NN Number=Sing 45 nsubj _ _ 45 parted part VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 7 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 46 , , PUNCT , _ 49 punct _ _ 47 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 49 nsubj _ _ 48 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 49 aux _ _ 49 seen see VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 45 ccomp _ _ 50 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 49 obj _ _ 51 sink sink VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 49 xcomp _ _ 52 into into ADP IN _ 55 case _ _ 53 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 55 det _ _ 54 deep deep ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 55 amod _ _ 55 waves wave NOUN NNS Number=Plur 51 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 56 , , PUNCT , _ 60 punct _ _ 57 and and CCONJ CC _ 60 cc _ _ 58 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 60 nsubj _ _ 59 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 60 cop _ _ 60 glad glad ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 45 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 61 , , PUNCT , _ 64 punct _ _ 62 for for SCONJ IN _ 64 mark _ _ 63 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 64 nsubj _ _ 64 thought think VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 60 conj _ _ 65 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 70 nsubj _ _ 66 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 70 aux _ _ 67 now now ADV RB PronType=Dem 70 advmod _ _ 68 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 70 cop _ _ 69 with with ADP IN _ 70 case _ _ 70 her she PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 64 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 71 ; ; PUNCT , _ 75 punct _ _ 72 and and CCONJ CC _ 75 cc _ _ 73 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 75 advmod _ _ 74 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 75 nsubj _ _ 75 remembered remember VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 45 conj _ _ 76 that that SCONJ IN _ 81 mark _ _ 77 human human ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 78 amod _ _ 78 beings being NOUN NNS Number=Plur 81 nsubj _ _ 79 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 81 aux _ _ 80 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 81 advmod _ _ 81 live live VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 75 ccomp _ _ 82 in in ADP IN _ 84 case _ _ 83 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 84 det _ _ 84 water water NOUN NN Number=Sing 81 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 85 , , PUNCT , _ 90 punct _ _ 86 so so SCONJ IN ExtPos=SCONJ 90 mark _ _ 87 that that SCONJ IN _ 86 fixed _ _ 88 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 90 advmod _ _ 89 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 90 nsubj _ _ 90 got get VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 75 parataxis _ _ 91 down down ADV RB _ 90 advmod _ _ 92 to to ADP IN _ 96 case _ _ 93 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 94 nmod:poss _ _ 94 father father NOUN NN Number=Sing 96 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 95 's 's PART POS _ 94 case _ _ 96 palace palace NOUN NN Number=Sing 90 obl _ _ 97 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 101 nsubj _ _ 98 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 101 aux _ _ 99 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 101 cop _ _ 100 quite quite ADV RB _ 101 advmod _ _ 101 dead dead ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 90 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 102 . . PUNCT . _ 7 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | crew | | | | moment | dark, pitch *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **not** **see** | could | water | a single object | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer object=Stimulus | | 3 | **reveal** | past | a flash of lightning | the whole scene | | | | | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent scene=Topic | | 4 | **see** | could | water | every one | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer one=Stimulus | | 5 | **except** | past · perfect · progressive | every one | the prince | | | | | tree rules | | 6 | **part** | past | the ship | | | | | | tree rules | | 7 | **see** | past · perfect | water | flash | | | | | tree rules | | 8 | **sink** | infinitive | flash *not said here* | | | the deep waves | | | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient | | 9 | **is** | past | water | | | | | glad *property* | tree rules | | 10 | **think** *speech: other* | past | water | | | | | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 11 | **is** | would | flash | | | | now | with lightning | tree rules | | 12 | **remember** | past | water | | | | then | | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 13 | **not** **live** | could | human beings | | | the water | | | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in water=Location | | 14 | **get down** | past | flash | | | | | to water's father's palace *result*; down *property* | vn convert-26.6.2 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Patient to palace=Result | | 15 | **is** | would | flash | | | | | dead *property* | tree rules | | 16 | **flash** | | lightning | | | | | | nom flash «event intransitive»: of=agent | 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 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/76/8/) - next →: [sentence 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/76/10/) - ↑ back to [The Little Mermaid, part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/76/)