---
title: By and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sittin… — Just so stories · tree and pragmatics
description: By and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, ‘My father has spanked me, and my mother has spanked me; all my aunts and uncles have spanked me for my ‘satiable curtiosity; and still I want to know what the Crocodile has f
---

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# Just so stories, The Elephant’s Child, sentence 15

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By and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, ‘My father has spanked me, and my mother has spanked me; all my aunts and uncles have spanked me for my ‘satiable curtiosity; and still I want to know what the Crocodile has for dinner!’

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**Who acts:** Elephant, Kolokolo, father, I, Crocodile · **What happens:** finish, come, sit, say, spank, want · **To what, where:** that, middle, me, mother, aunts · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is a sentence of «Just so stories» by Rudyard Kipling, The Elephant’s Child. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Elephant, Kolokolo, father, I), 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:pg2781:6:15
# text = By and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, ‘My father has spanked me, and my mother has spanked me; all my aunts and uncles have spanked me for my ‘satiable curtiosity; and still I want to know what the Crocodile has for dinner!’
1	By	by	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
2	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
3	by	by	ADP	IN	_	1	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
5	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	8	advmod	_	_
6	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
8	finished	finish	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
10	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
12	upon	upon	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
13	Kolokolo	Kolokolo	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
14	Bird	Bird	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	13	flat	_	_
15	sitting	sit	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	11	advcl	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	18	case	_	_
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	middle	middle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
19	of	of	ADP	IN	_	28	case	_	_
20	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	28	det	_	_
21	wait	wait	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	28	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	25	det	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	23	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	bit	bit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	compound	_	_
26	thorn	thorn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	26	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	bush	bush	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	32	punct	_	_
30	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	32	cc	_	_
31	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	32	nsubj	_	_
32	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
33	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	38	punct	_	_
34	‘	'	PUNCT	``	_	38	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
35	My	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	36	nmod:poss	_	_
36	father	father	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	38	nsubj	_	_
37	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	38	aux	_	_
38	spanked	spank	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	32	ccomp	_	_
39	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	38	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
40	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	45	punct	_	_
41	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	45	cc	_	_
42	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	43	nmod:poss	_	_
43	mother	mother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	45	nsubj:pass	_	_
44	has	have	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	45	aux	_	_
45	spanked	spank	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	38	conj	_	_
46	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	45	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
47	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	54	punct	_	_
48	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	50	det:predet	_	_
49	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	50	nmod:poss	_	_
50	aunts	aunt	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	54	nsubj:pass	_	_
51	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	52	cc	_	_
52	uncles	uncle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	50	conj	_	_
53	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	54	aux	_	_
54	spanked	spank	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	32	conj	_	_
55	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	54	obj	_	_
56	for	for	ADP	IN	_	60	case	_	_
57	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	60	nmod:poss	_	_
58	‘	'	PUNCT	``	_	60	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
59	satiable	satiable	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	60	amod	_	_
60	curtiosity	curtiosity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	54	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
61	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	65	punct	_	_
62	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	65	cc	_	_
63	still	still	ADV	RB	_	65	advmod	_	_
64	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	65	nsubj	_	_
65	want	want	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	advcl	_	_
66	to	to	PART	TO	_	67	mark	_	_
67	know	know	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	65	xcomp	_	_
68	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	71	obj	_	_
69	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	70	det	_	_
70	Crocodile	Crocodile	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	71	nsubj	_	_
71	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	67	ccomp	_	_
72	for	for	ADP	IN	_	73	case	_	_
73	dinner	dinner	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	71	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
74	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	65	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
75	’	'	PUNCT	''	_	65	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **finish** | past · passive |  | that |  |  |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: subject=Eventuality |
| 2 | **come** | past | Elephant |  |  |  |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **sit** | gerund | Kolokolo |  |  | the middle of a wait bit thorn bush |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent in middle=Location |
| 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Elephant |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 5 | **spank** | present · perfect | My father | me |  |  |  |  | vn spank-18.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent i=Patient |
| 6 | **spank** | present · perfect · passive |  | my mother |  |  |  |  | vn spank-18.3 «NP V NP ADJP»: subject=Patient i=Result |
| 7 | **spank** | present · perfect · passive |  | my aunts and uncles |  |  |  | for my satiable curtiosity | vn spank-18.3 «NP V NP ADJP»: subject=Patient i=Result |
| 8 | **want** | present | I |  |  |  | still |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme |
| 9 | **know** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | I *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 10 | **have** | present | the Crocodile |  |  |  |  | for dinner | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Patient |

<!-- .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:** «Just so stories» by Rudyard Kipling, Project Gutenberg book 2781 (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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