--- title: Then the elder brother took a knife and stuck it into the trunk of a… — Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales · tree and pragmatics description: Then the elder brother took a knife and stuck it into the trunk of a maple-tree by the roadside, and said, "Look now, brother, should any blood drip from the blade of this knife it will be a sign that I am perishing, and thou must go and seek me; but if any blood flow from the handle, it will be a s --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/22/4/) [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/) / [Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/) / [The Two Princes, part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/22/) / 4 # Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales, The Two Princes, part 1, sentence 4 Then the elder brother took a knife and stuck it into the trunk of a maple-tree by the roadside, and said, "Look now, brother, should any blood drip from the blade of this knife it will be a sign that I am perishing, and thou must go and seek me; but if any blood flow from the handle, it will be a sign that \_thou\_ art perishing, and I will then go and seek thee." **Who acts:** elder brother, knife, thou, blood flow · **What happens:** take, stick, say, look, be, perish · **To what, where:** knife, trunk, sign, elder brother, thee · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales», The Two Princes, 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 (elder brother, knife, thou, blood flow), 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:pg29672:22:4 # text = Then the elder brother took a knife and stuck it into the trunk of a maple-tree by the roadside, and said, "Look now, brother, should any blood drip from the blade of this knife it will be a sign that I am perishing, and thou must go and seek me; but if any blood flow from the handle, it will be a sign that _thou_ art perishing, and I will then go and seek thee." 1 Then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 5 advmod _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 elder elder ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 4 amod _ _ 4 brother brother NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nsubj _ _ 5 took take VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 6 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 knife knife NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obj _ _ 8 and and CCONJ CC _ 9 cc _ _ 9 stuck stick VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 conj _ _ 10 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 9 obj _ _ 11 into into ADP IN _ 13 case _ _ 12 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 13 trunk trunk NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 obl _ _ 14 of of ADP IN _ 18 case _ _ 15 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 18 det _ _ 16 maple maple NOUN NN Number=Sing 18 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 17 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 16 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 18 tree tree NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 nmod _ _ 19 by by ADP IN _ 21 case _ _ 20 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 21 roadside roadside NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 24 punct _ _ 23 and and CCONJ CC _ 24 cc _ _ 24 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 25 , , PUNCT , _ 27 punct _ _ 26 " " PUNCT `` _ 27 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 27 Look look VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 24 ccomp _ _ 28 now now ADV RB PronType=Dem 27 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 29 , , PUNCT , _ 30 punct _ _ 30 brother brother NOUN NN Number=Sing 27 vocative _ SpaceAfter=No 31 , , PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 32 should should AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 35 aux _ _ 33 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 35 det _ _ 34 blood blood NOUN NN Number=Sing 35 compound _ _ 35 drip drip NOUN NN Number=Sing 27 parataxis _ _ 36 from from ADP IN _ 38 case _ _ 37 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 38 det _ _ 38 blade blade NOUN NN Number=Sing 35 nmod _ _ 39 of of ADP IN _ 41 case _ _ 40 this this DET DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 41 det _ _ 41 knife knife NOUN NN Number=Sing 38 nmod _ _ 42 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 46 nsubj _ _ 43 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 46 aux _ _ 44 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 46 cop _ _ 45 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 46 det _ _ 46 sign sign NOUN NN Number=Sing 41 acl:relcl _ _ 47 that that SCONJ IN _ 50 mark _ _ 48 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 50 nsubj _ _ 49 am be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 50 aux _ _ 50 perishing perish VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 46 acl _ SpaceAfter=No 51 , , PUNCT , _ 55 punct _ _ 52 and and CCONJ CC _ 55 cc _ _ 53 thou thou PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Style=Arch 55 nsubj _ _ 54 must must AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 55 aux _ _ 55 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 24 ccomp _ _ 56 and and CCONJ CC _ 57 cc _ _ 57 seek seek VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 55 conj _ _ 58 me I PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 57 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 59 ; ; PUNCT , _ 73 punct _ _ 60 but but CCONJ CC _ 73 cc _ _ 61 if if SCONJ IN _ 73 mark _ _ 62 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 64 det _ _ 63 blood blood NOUN NN Number=Sing 64 compound _ _ 64 flow flow NOUN NN Number=Sing 73 nsubj _ _ 65 from from ADP IN _ 67 case _ _ 66 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 67 det _ _ 67 handle handle NOUN NN Number=Sing 64 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 68 , , PUNCT , _ 64 punct _ _ 69 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 73 nsubj _ _ 70 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 73 aux _ _ 71 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 73 cop _ _ 72 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 73 det _ _ 73 sign sign NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 parataxis _ _ 74 that that SCONJ IN _ 78 mark _ _ 75 _ _ PUNCT NFP _ 74 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 76 thou thou PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Style=Arch 78 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 77 _ _ PUNCT NFP _ 76 punct _ _ 78 art be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 73 acl _ _ 79 perishing perish VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 78 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 80 , , PUNCT , _ 85 punct _ _ 81 and and CCONJ CC _ 85 cc _ _ 82 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 85 nsubj _ _ 83 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 85 aux _ _ 84 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 85 advmod _ _ 85 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 78 parataxis _ _ 86 and and CCONJ CC _ 87 cc _ _ 87 seek seek VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 85 conj _ _ 88 thee thou PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Style=Arch 87 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 89 . . PUNCT . _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 90 " " PUNCT '' _ 5 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **take** | past | the elder brother | a knife | | | then | | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP to be ADJ»: agent=Agent knife=Theme clause=Attribute | | 2 | **stick** | past | the elder brother *not said here* | knife | | the trunk of a maple tree | | by the roadside | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent it=Theme into trunk=Destination | | 3 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the elder brother *not said here* | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 4 | **look** *in a quote* | infinitive | | | | | now | brother *vocative* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Stimulus | | 5 | **is a** *in a quote* | future | knife | a sign | | | | | tree rules | | 6 | **perish** *in a quote* | present · progressive | the elder brother *= brother* | a sign *not said here* | | | | | tree rules | | 7 | **go** *in a quote* | must | thou | | | | | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 8 | **seek** *in a quote* | infinitive | thou *not said here* | the elder brother *= brother* | | | | | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent i=Theme | | 9 | **is a** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | future | any blood flow from the handle | a sign | | | | | tree rules | | 10 | **perish** *in a quote* | gerund | any blood flow from the handle *not said here* | | | | | | vn break\_down-45.8 «NP V»: agent=Patient | | 11 | **go** *in a quote* | future | the elder brother *= brother* | | | | then | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 12 | **seek** *in a quote* | infinitive | the elder brother *= brother* *not said here* | thee | | | | | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thou=Theme | 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:** «Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales», Project Gutenberg book 29672 (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 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/22/3/) - next →: [sentence 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/22/5/) - ↑ back to [The Two Princes, part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/22/)