---
title: So he said good-bye very politely to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Sna… — Just so stories · tree and pragmatics
description: So he said good-bye very politely to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, and helped to coil him up on the rock again, and went on, a little warm, but not at all astonished, eating melons, and throwing the rind about, because he could not pick it up, till he trod on what he thought was a log of wood a
---

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# Just so stories, The Elephant’s Child, sentence 31

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
So he said good-bye very politely to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, and helped to coil him up on the rock again, and went on, a little warm, but not at all astonished, eating melons, and throwing the rind about, because he could not pick it up, till he trod on what he thought was a log of wood at the very edge of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** father, throwing · **What happens:** say, help, coil up, go on, eat, throw · **To what, where:** good bye, Bi Coloured Python Rock Snake, father, rock, melons, rind · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
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 (father, throwing), 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:pg2781:6:31
# text = So he said good-bye very politely to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, and helped to coil him up on the rock again, and went on, a little warm, but not at all astonished, eating melons, and throwing the rind about, because he could not pick it up, till he trod on what he thought was a log of wood at the very edge of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees.
1	So	so	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	bye	bye	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	very	very	ADV	RB	_	8	advmod	_	_
8	politely	politely	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
11	Bi	bi	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	Coloured	coloured	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	Python	python	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	Rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	Snake	snake	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	22	punct	_	_
21	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
22	helped	help	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
23	to	to	PART	TO	_	24	mark	_	_
24	coil	coil	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	22	xcomp	_	_
25	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	24	obj	_	_
26	up	up	ADP	RP	_	24	compound:prt	_	_
27	on	on	ADP	IN	_	29	case	_	_
28	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	29	det	_	_
29	rock	rock	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	obl	_	_
30	again	again	ADV	RB	_	24	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
31	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	33	punct	_	_
32	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	33	cc	_	_
33	went	go	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
34	on	on	ADV	RB	_	33	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
35	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	38	punct	_	_
36	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	37	det	_	_
37	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	38	obl:unmarked	_	_
38	warm	warm	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	33	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
39	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	44	punct	_	_
40	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	44	cc	_	_
41	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	43	advmod	_	_
42	at	at	ADP	IN	_	43	case	_	_
43	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	44	advmod	_	_
44	astonished	astonished	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
45	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	46	punct	_	_
46	eating	eat	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	44	advcl	_	_
47	melons	melon	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	46	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
48	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	50	punct	_	_
49	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	50	cc	_	_
50	throwing	throw	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	72	csubj	_	_
51	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	52	det	_	_
52	rind	rind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	50	obj	_	_
53	about	about	ADV	RB	_	50	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
54	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	59	punct	_	_
55	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	59	mark	_	_
56	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	59	nsubj	_	_
57	could	could	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	59	aux	_	_
58	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	59	advmod	_	_
59	pick	pick	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	50	advcl	_	_
60	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	59	obj	_	_
61	up	up	ADP	RP	_	59	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
62	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	65	punct	_	_
63	till	till	SCONJ	IN	_	65	mark	_	_
64	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	65	nsubj	_	_
65	trod	tread	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	59	conj	_	_
66	on	on	ADP	IN	_	67	case	_	_
67	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	65	obl	_	_
68	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	69	nsubj	_	_
69	thought	think	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	67	acl:relcl	_	_
70	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	72	cop	_	_
71	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	72	det	_	_
72	log	log	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	parataxis	_	_
73	of	of	ADP	IN	_	74	case	_	_
74	wood	wood	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	72	nmod	_	_
75	at	at	ADP	IN	_	78	case	_	_
76	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	78	det	_	_
77	very	very	ADV	RB	_	78	advmod	_	_
78	edge	edge	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	72	nmod	_	_
79	of	of	ADP	IN	_	88	case	_	_
80	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	88	det	_	_
81	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	88	amod	_	_
82	grey	grey	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	84	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
83	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	82	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
84	green	green	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	81	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
85	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	88	punct	_	_
86	greasy	greasy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	88	amod	_	_
87	Limpopo	Limpopo	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	88	compound	_	_
88	River	River	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	78	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
89	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	91	punct	_	_
90	all	all	ADV	RB	_	91	advmod	_	_
91	set	set	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	88	amod	_	_
92	about	about	ADP	IN	_	96	case	_	_
93	with	with	ADP	IN	_	96	case	_	_
94	fever	fever	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	96	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
95	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	94	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
96	trees	tree	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	91	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
97	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | father | good bye | the Bi Coloured Python Rock Snake |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent bye=Topic to snake=Recipient |
| 2 | **help** | past | father *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 3 | **coil up** | to-infinitive | father *not said here* | father |  | the rock | again |  | vn knead-26.5 «NP V NP.material»: agent=Agent he=Material |
| 4 | **go on** | past |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn function-105.2.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **eat** | gerund | father *not said here* | melons |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent melon=Patient |
| 6 | **throw** | gerund |  | the rind |  |  |  | about *property* | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent rind=Theme |
| 7 | **not** **pick up** | could | father | rind |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic |
| 8 | **tread** | past | father |  |  |  |  |  | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on what=Trajectory |
| 9 | **think** *speech: other* | past | father |  |  |  |  |  | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 10 | **is a** | past | throwing | a log |  | the edge of the great greasy Limpopo River |  | of wood | tree rules |

<!-- .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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