--- title: So it is needless to say that all the princes and knights were eager… — The Blue Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics description: So it is needless to say that all the princes and knights were eager to win her, and half the kingdom besides, and that for this cause they came riding thither from the very end of the world, dressed so splendidly that their raiments gleamed in the sunshine, and riding on horses which seemed to danc --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg503/48/49/) [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 Blue Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg503/) / [The Princess on the Glass Hill](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg503/48/) / 49 # The Blue Fairy Book, The Princess on the Glass Hill, sentence 49 So it is needless to say that all the princes and knights were eager to win her, and half the kingdom besides, and that for this cause they came riding thither from the very end of the world, dressed so splendidly that their raiments gleamed in the sunshine, and riding on horses which seemed to dance as they went, and there was not one of these princes who did not think that he was sure to win the Princess. **Who acts:** it, princes, kingdom, raiments, horses, one · **What happens:** be, say, win, beside, come, ride · **To what, where:** Princess, that, end, sunshine · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Blue Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, The Princess on the Glass Hill. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (it, princes, kingdom, raiments), 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:pg503:48:49 # text = So it is needless to say that all the princes and knights were eager to win her, and half the kingdom besides, and that for this cause they came riding thither from the very end of the world, dressed so splendidly that their raiments gleamed in the sunshine, and riding on horses which seemed to dance as they went, and there was not one of these princes who did not think that he was sure to win the Princess. 1 So so ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 2 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 4 nsubj _ _ 3 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 4 needless needless ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 5 to to PART TO _ 6 mark _ _ 6 say say VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 csubj _ _ 7 that that SCONJ IN _ 14 mark _ _ 8 all all DET PDT PronType=Tot 10 det:predet _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 10 princes prince NOUN NNS Number=Plur 14 nsubj _ _ 11 and and CCONJ CC _ 12 cc _ _ 12 knights knight NOUN NNS Number=Plur 10 conj _ _ 13 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 14 cop _ _ 14 eager eager ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 6 ccomp _ _ 15 to to PART TO _ 16 mark _ _ 16 win win VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 14 xcomp _ _ 17 her she PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 16 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 19 and and CCONJ CC _ 23 cc _ _ 20 half half DET PDT NumForm=Word|NumType=Frac|PronType=Ind 22 det:predet _ _ 21 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 22 det _ _ 22 kingdom kingdom NOUN NN Number=Sing 23 nsubj _ _ 23 besides beside VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 24 , , PUNCT , _ 26 punct _ _ 25 and and CCONJ CC _ 26 cc _ _ 26 that that PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 23 obl _ _ 27 for for ADP IN _ 29 case _ _ 28 this this DET DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 29 det _ _ 29 cause cause NOUN NN Number=Sing 31 obl _ _ 30 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 31 nsubj _ _ 31 came come VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 23 parataxis _ _ 32 riding ride VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 31 advcl _ _ 33 thither thither ADV RB _ 32 advmod _ _ 34 from from ADP IN _ 37 case _ _ 35 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 37 det _ _ 36 very very ADV RB _ 37 advmod _ _ 37 end end NOUN NN Number=Sing 32 obl _ _ 38 of of ADP IN _ 40 case _ _ 39 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 40 det _ _ 40 world world NOUN NN Number=Sing 37 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 41 , , PUNCT , _ 42 punct _ _ 42 dressed dress VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 32 advcl _ _ 43 so so ADV RB _ 44 advmod _ _ 44 splendidly splendidly ADV RB _ 42 advmod _ _ 45 that that SCONJ IN _ 48 mark _ _ 46 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 47 nmod:poss _ _ 47 raiments raiment NOUN NNS Number=Plur 48 nsubj _ _ 48 gleamed gleam VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 42 advcl _ _ 49 in in ADP IN _ 51 case _ _ 50 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 51 det _ _ 51 sunshine sunshine NOUN NN Number=Sing 48 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 52 , , PUNCT , _ 54 punct _ _ 53 and and CCONJ CC _ 54 cc _ _ 54 riding ride VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 32 conj _ _ 55 on on ADP IN _ 56 case _ _ 56 horses horse NOUN NNS Number=Plur 54 obl _ _ 57 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 58 nsubj _ _ 58 seemed seem VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 56 acl:relcl _ _ 59 to to PART TO _ 60 mark _ _ 60 dance dance VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 58 xcomp _ _ 61 as as SCONJ IN _ 63 mark _ _ 62 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 63 nsubj _ _ 63 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 60 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 64 , , PUNCT , _ 67 punct _ _ 65 and and CCONJ CC _ 67 cc _ _ 66 there there PRON EX PronType=Dem 67 expl _ _ 67 was be VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 parataxis _ _ 68 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 69 advmod _ _ 69 one one NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 67 nsubj _ _ 70 of of ADP IN _ 72 case _ _ 71 these this DET DT Number=Plur|PronType=Dem 72 det _ _ 72 princes prince NOUN NNS Number=Plur 69 nmod _ _ 73 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 76 nsubj _ _ 74 did do AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 76 aux _ _ 75 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 76 advmod _ _ 76 think think VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 72 acl:relcl _ _ 77 that that SCONJ IN _ 80 mark _ _ 78 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 80 nsubj _ _ 79 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 80 cop _ _ 80 sure sure ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 76 ccomp _ _ 81 to to PART TO _ 82 mark _ _ 82 win win VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 80 xcomp _ _ 83 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 84 det _ _ 84 Princess princess NOUN NN Number=Sing 82 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 85 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | present | it | | | | | needless *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **is** | past | all princes and knights | | | | | eager *property* | tree rules | | 4 | **win** | to-infinitive | all princes and knights *not said here* | Princess | | | | | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent she=Eventuality | | 5 | **beside** | present | half kingdom | that | | | | | tree rules | | 6 | **come** | past | princes *= prince* | | | | | for this cause | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 7 | **ride** | gerund | princes *= prince* *not said here* | | | | from the end of the world | thither *property* | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent from end=Trajectory | | 8 | **dress** | participle | princes *= prince* *not said here* | | | | | splendidly *property* | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 9 | **gleam** | participle | princes's raiments | | | the sunshine | | | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in sunshine=Location | | 10 | **ride** | gerund | princes *= prince* *not said here* | | | | | on horses | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2 «NP.agent V»: agent=Agent | | 11 | **seem** | past | horses | | | | | | vn seem-109-1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Theme clause=Attribute | | 12 | **dance** | to-infinitive | horses *not said here* | | | | | | vn modes\_of\_being\_with\_motion-47.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 13 | **go** | past | raiments *= raiment* | | | | | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 14 | **be** | past | one of this princes | | | there | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 15 | **not** **think** *speech: other* | past · do-support | this princes | | | | | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 16 | **is** | past | kingdom | | | | | sure *property* | tree rules | | 17 | **win** | to-infinitive | kingdom *not said here* | the Princess | | | | | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent princess=Eventuality | 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 Blue Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 503 (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 48](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg503/48/48/) - next →: [sentence 50](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg503/48/50/) - ↑ back to [The Princess on the Glass Hill](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg503/48/)