--- title: They might even refer to the ogham wands on which the first words of… — Irish Fairy Tales · tree and pragmatics description: They might even refer to the ogham wands on which the first words of their tasks and the opening lines of poems were cut; and it is likely that, being new to these things, they would talk of them to a youngster, and, thinking that his wits could be no better than their own, they might have explained --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2892/19/5/) [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/) / [Irish Fairy Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2892/) / [Chapter VI](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2892/19/) / 5 # Irish Fairy Tales, Chapter VI, sentence 5 They might even refer to the ogham wands on which the first words of their tasks and the opening lines of poems were cut; and it is likely that, being new to these things, they would talk of them to a youngster, and, thinking that his wits could be no better than their own, they might have explained to him how ogham was written. **Who acts:** poets, brink, wits · **What happens:** refer, cut, be, talk, think, not be · **To what, where:** first words, ogham wands, poets, Fionn, ogham, tasks · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Irish Fairy Tales» by James Stephens, Chapter VI. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (poets, brink, wits), 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:pg2892:19:5 # text = They might even refer to the ogham wands on which the first words of their tasks and the opening lines of poems were cut; and it is likely that, being new to these things, they would talk of them to a youngster, and, thinking that his wits could be no better than their own, they might have explained to him how ogham was written. 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 2 might might AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 4 aux _ _ 3 even even ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 4 refer refer VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 0 root _ _ 5 to to ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 8 det _ _ 7 ogham ogham NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 compound _ _ 8 wands wand NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 obl _ _ 9 on on ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 10 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 24 obl _ _ 11 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 12 first first ADJ JJ Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 13 amod _ _ 13 words word NOUN NNS Number=Plur 24 nsubj:pass _ _ 14 of of ADP IN _ 16 case _ _ 15 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 16 nmod:poss _ _ 16 tasks task NOUN NNS Number=Plur 13 nmod _ _ 17 and and CCONJ CC _ 20 cc _ _ 18 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 20 det _ _ 19 opening opening ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 20 amod _ _ 20 lines line NOUN NNS Number=Plur 16 conj _ _ 21 of of ADP IN _ 22 case _ _ 22 poems poem NOUN NNS Number=Plur 20 nmod _ _ 23 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 24 aux:pass _ _ 24 cut cut VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 8 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 25 ; ; PUNCT : _ 29 punct _ _ 26 and and CCONJ CC _ 29 cc _ _ 27 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 29 nsubj _ _ 28 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 29 cop _ _ 29 likely likely ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 conj _ _ 30 that that SCONJ IN _ 29 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 31 , , PUNCT , _ 33 punct _ _ 32 being be AUX VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 33 cop _ _ 33 new new ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 29 conj _ _ 34 to to ADP IN _ 36 case _ _ 35 these this DET DT Number=Plur|PronType=Dem 36 det _ _ 36 things thing NOUN NNS Number=Plur 33 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 37 , , PUNCT , _ 40 punct _ _ 38 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 40 nsubj _ _ 39 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 40 aux _ _ 40 talk talk VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 conj _ _ 41 of of ADP IN _ 42 case _ _ 42 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 40 obl _ _ 43 to to ADP IN _ 45 case _ _ 44 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 45 det _ _ 45 youngster youngster NOUN NN Number=Sing 40 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 46 , , PUNCT , _ 64 punct _ _ 47 and and CCONJ CC _ 64 cc _ SpaceAfter=No 48 , , PUNCT , _ 49 punct _ _ 49 thinking think VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 64 csubj:pass _ _ 50 that that SCONJ IN _ 56 mark _ _ 51 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 52 nmod:poss _ _ 52 wits wit NOUN NNS Number=Plur 56 nsubj _ _ 53 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 56 aux _ _ 54 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 56 cop _ _ 55 no no ADV RB _ 56 advmod _ _ 56 better good ADJ JJR Degree=Cmp 49 ccomp _ _ 57 than than ADP IN _ 59 case _ _ 58 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 59 nmod:poss _ _ 59 own own ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 56 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 60 , , PUNCT , _ 49 punct _ _ 61 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 64 nsubj:pass _ _ 62 might might AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 64 aux _ _ 63 have have AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 64 aux _ _ 64 explained explain VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 4 advcl _ _ 65 to to ADP IN _ 66 case _ _ 66 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 64 obl _ _ 67 how how ADV WRB PronType=Int 70 advmod _ _ 68 ogham ogham NOUN NN Number=Sing 70 nsubj:pass _ _ 69 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 70 aux:pass _ _ 70 written write VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 64 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 71 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **refer** | might | poets *= poet* | | | | | to the ogham wands | vn relate-86.2-2 «NP V PP.co-theme»: agent=Theme to wand=Co-Theme | | 2 | **cut** | past · passive | | the first words of poets's tasks and the opening lines of poems | | the ogham wands | | | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: subject=Product | | 3 | **is** | present | brink | | | | | likely *property* | tree rules | | 4 | **is** | gerund | brink *not said here* | | | | | to this things; new *property* | tree rules | | 5 | **talk** | would | poets *= poet* | | | | | of words *= word*; to a youngster | vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.co-agent»: agent=Agent to youngster=Co-Agent | | 6 | **think** *speech: other* | gerund | | | | | | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 7 | **not** **is** | could | Fionn's wits | | | | | than poets's own; good *property* | tree rules | | 8 | **explain** *speech: assert* | might · perfect · passive | | poets *= poet* | Fionn | | | | tree rules | | 9 | **write** | past · passive | | ogham | | | | | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme | | 10 | **word** | | | poets's tasks and the opening lines of poems | | | | | nom word «communication transitive»: of=patient | | 11 | **task** | | poets *= poet* | | | | | | nom task «act transitive»: poss=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:** «Irish Fairy Tales» by James Stephens, Project Gutenberg book 2892 (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 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2892/19/4/) - next →: [sentence 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2892/19/6/) - ↑ back to [Chapter VI](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2892/19/)