---
title: Now the king knew nothing about fruits except that they were good to… — The Lilac Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics
description: Now the king knew nothing about fruits except that they were good to eat; and, as for seasons, he asked for whatever fruit he wanted whenever he wanted it, and saw that he got it; so to him Moti’s guess was like a miracle, and clear proof not only of his wisdom but of his innocence, for it was a pom
---

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# The Lilac Fairy Book, The Lilac Fairy Book, part 15, sentence 83

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Now the king knew nothing about fruits except that they were good to eat; and, as for seasons, he asked for whatever fruit he wanted whenever he wanted it, and saw that he got it; so to him Moti’s guess was like a miracle, and clear proof not only of his wisdom but of his innocence, for it was a pomegranate that he had put into the box.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** king, fruit, guess, riddle, proof, Moti · **What happens:** know, be, eat, ask, want, see · **To what, where:** nothing, fruits, whatever, fruit, riddle, king · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is a sentence of «The Lilac Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, The Lilac Fairy Book, part 15. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (king, fruit, guess, riddle), 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:pg3454:15:83
# text = Now the king knew nothing about fruits except that they were good to eat; and, as for seasons, he asked for whatever fruit he wanted whenever he wanted it, and saw that he got it; so to him Moti’s guess was like a miracle, and clear proof not only of his wisdom but of his innocence, for it was a pomegranate that he had put into the box.
1	Now	now	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	4	advmod	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	king	king	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	knew	know	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	4	obj	_	_
6	about	about	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	fruits	fruit	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	_
8	except	except	ADP	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
9	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
10	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
11	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	12	cop	_	_
12	good	good	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	acl:relcl	_	_
13	to	to	PART	TO	_	14	mark	_	_
14	eat	eat	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	12	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	23	punct	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	23	cc	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
18	as	as	ADP	IN	ExtPos=ADP	20	case	_	_
19	for	for	ADP	IN	_	18	fixed	_	_
20	seasons	season	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	23	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
22	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	23	nsubj	_	_
23	asked	ask	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	parataxis	_	_
24	for	for	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
25	whatever	whatever	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	23	obj	_	_
26	fruit	fruit	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	25	nsubj	_	_
27	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	28	nsubj	_	_
28	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	26	acl:relcl	_	_
29	whenever	whenever	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	31	advmod	_	_
30	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	31	nsubj	_	_
31	wanted	want	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	28	ccomp	_	_
32	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	31	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
33	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	35	punct	_	_
34	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	35	cc	_	_
35	saw	see	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	23	conj	_	_
36	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	38	mark	_	_
37	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	38	nsubj	_	_
38	got	get	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	35	ccomp	_	_
39	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	38	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
40	;	;	PUNCT	,	_	50	punct	_	_
41	so	so	ADV	RB	_	50	advmod	_	_
42	to	to	ADP	IN	_	43	case	_	_
43	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	50	obl	_	_
44	Moti	Moti	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	46	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
45	’s	's	PART	POS	_	44	case	_	_
46	guess	guess	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	50	nsubj	_	_
47	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	50	cop	_	_
48	like	like	ADP	IN	_	50	case	_	_
49	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	50	det	_	_
50	miracle	miracle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
51	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	59	punct	_	_
52	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	59	cc	_	_
53	clear	clear	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	54	amod	_	_
54	proof	proof	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	59	nsubj	_	_
55	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	59	advmod	_	_
56	only	only	ADV	RB	_	59	advmod	_	_
57	of	of	ADP	IN	_	59	case	_	_
58	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	59	nmod:poss	_	_
59	wisdom	wisdom	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	parataxis	_	_
60	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	63	cc	_	_
61	of	of	ADP	IN	_	63	case	_	_
62	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	63	nmod:poss	_	_
63	innocence	innocence	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	59	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
64	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	69	punct	_	_
65	for	for	ADP	IN	_	69	case	_	_
66	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	69	nsubj	_	_
67	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	69	cop	_	_
68	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	69	det	_	_
69	pomegranate	pomegranate	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	59	conj	_	_
70	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	73	mark	_	_
71	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	73	nsubj	_	_
72	had	have	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	73	aux	_	_
73	put	put	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	69	acl	_	_
74	into	into	ADP	IN	_	76	case	_	_
75	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	76	det	_	_
76	box	box	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	73	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
77	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **know** | past | the king | nothing |  |  | now | about fruits | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer nothing=Stimulus |
| 2 | **is** | past | fruit | fruits *not said here* |  |  |  | good *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **eat** | to-infinitive | fruit *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | king | whatever |  |  | season |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent whatever=Recipient |
| 5 | **want** | past | king | fruit *not said here* |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 6 | **want** | past | king | riddle |  |  |  | whenever *property* | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot it=Theme |
| 7 | **see** | past | king *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 8 | **get** | past | king | riddle |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus |
| 9 | **is** | past | Moti's guess |  | king |  |  | like a miracle | tree rules |
| 10 | **is** | past | riddle |  |  |  |  | for a pomegranate | tree rules |
| 11 | **put** | past · perfect | proof | a pomegranate *not said here* |  | the box |  |  | vn invest-13.5.4-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent pomegranate=Goal |
| 12 | **guess** |  | Moti |  |  |  |  |  | nom guess «communication transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .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:** «The Lilac Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 3454 (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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