--- title: The rabbit would have liked to ask him why he ate food that he knew… — The Orange Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics description: The rabbit would have liked to ask him why he ate food that he knew would burn him, only he was afraid, and just nodded in reply; but when they had gone on a little further, he said to Gudu: Who acts: Rabbit, eyes. A sentence of «The Orange Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Opening, part 3, with its depen --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/3/99/) [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/) / [The Orange Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/) / [Opening, part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/3/) / 99 # The Orange Fairy Book, Opening, part 3, sentence 99 The rabbit would have liked to ask him why he ate food that he knew would burn him, only he was afraid, and just nodded in reply; but when they had gone on a little further, he said to Gudu: **Who acts:** Rabbit, eyes · **What happens:** like, ask, eat, know, burn, be · **To what, where:** rabbit, food, Gudu · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Orange Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Opening, part 3. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Rabbit, eyes), 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:pg3027:3:99 # text = The rabbit would have liked to ask him why he ate food that he knew would burn him, only he was afraid, and just nodded in reply; but when they had gone on a little further, he said to Gudu: 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 rabbit rabbit NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 5 aux _ _ 4 have have AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 5 aux _ _ 5 liked like VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 7 mark _ _ 7 ask ask VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 11 advcl _ _ 8 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 7 obj _ _ 9 why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 11 advmod _ _ 10 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 nsubj _ _ 11 ate eat VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 parataxis _ _ 12 food food NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 obj _ _ 13 that that SCONJ IN _ 15 mark _ _ 14 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 15 nsubj _ _ 15 knew know VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 11 advcl _ _ 16 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 17 aux _ _ 17 burn burn VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 15 xcomp _ _ 18 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 17 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 19 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 20 only only ADV RB _ 23 advmod _ _ 21 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 23 nsubj _ _ 22 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 23 cop _ _ 23 afraid afraid ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 17 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 24 , , PUNCT , _ 27 punct _ _ 25 and and CCONJ CC _ 27 cc _ _ 26 just just ADV RB _ 27 advmod _ _ 27 nodded nod VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 23 conj _ _ 28 in in ADP IN _ 29 case _ _ 29 reply reply NOUN NN Number=Sing 27 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 30 ; ; PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 31 but but CCONJ CC _ 35 cc _ _ 32 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 35 advmod _ _ 33 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 35 nsubj _ _ 34 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 35 aux _ _ 35 gone go VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 5 conj _ _ 36 on on ADP IN _ 39 case _ _ 37 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 38 det _ _ 38 little little ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 39 obl _ _ 39 further far ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 35 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 40 , , PUNCT , _ 42 punct _ _ 41 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 42 nsubj _ _ 42 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 conj _ _ 43 to to ADP IN _ 44 case _ _ 44 Gudu Gudu PROPN NNP Number=Sing 42 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 45 : : PUNCT : _ 5 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **like** | would · perfect · passive | | the rabbit | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: subject=Theme | | 2 | **ask** *speech: ask* | to-infinitive | Rabbit *not said here* | | Rabbit | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent he=Recipient | | 3 | **eat** | past | Rabbit | food | | | | | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Patient | | 4 | **know** | past | Rabbit | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 5 | **burn** | would | Rabbit *not said here* | Rabbit | | | | | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent he=Theme | | 6 | **is** | past | Rabbit | | | | | afraid *property* | tree rules | | 7 | **nod** | participle | Rabbit *not said here* | | | | | in reply | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent in reply=Theme | | 8 | **go** | past · perfect | eyes *= eye* | | | | | far *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 9 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Rabbit | | Gudu | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V PP.recipient S-Quote»: agent=Agent to gudu=Recipient | 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:** «The Orange Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 3027 (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 98](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/3/98/) - next →: [sentence 100](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/3/100/) - ↑ back to [Opening, part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/3/)