---
title: Vasilísa set herself to work, and the work went merrily along, and t… — Russian Folk-Tales · tree and pragmatics
description: Vasilísa set herself to work, and the work went merrily along, and the skein was as smooth and as fine as hair, and when she had a great deal of yarn, no one would undertake the weaving, so she turned to her doll, who said: “Bring me some old comb from somewhere, some old spindle, some old shuttle, 
---

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# Russian Folk-Tales, Opening, part 15, sentence 36

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Vasilísa set herself to work, and the work went merrily along, and the skein was as smooth and as fine as hair, and when she had a great deal of yarn, no one would undertake the weaving, so she turned to her doll, who said: “Bring me some old comb from somewhere, some old spindle, some old shuttle, and some horse mane; and I will do it for you.”

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**Who acts:** Vasilísa, work, skein, one, doll · **What happens:** set, work, go, be, have, undertake · **To what, where:** Vasilísa, great deal, weaving, horse mane, doll, old comb · **Speech:** someone speaks here

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This is a sentence of «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev, Opening, 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 (Vasilísa, work, skein, one), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree.

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**Mova's own parse.** This tree may be wrong.

## The tree {#tree}

```conllu
# sent_id = book:pg62509:15:36
# text = Vasilísa set herself to work, and the work went merrily along, and the skein was as smooth and as fine as hair, and when she had a great deal of yarn, no one would undertake the weaving, so she turned to her doll, who said: “Bring me some old comb from somewhere, some old spindle, some old shuttle, and some horse mane; and I will do it for you.”
1	Vasilísa	Vasilísa	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	set	set	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	herself	herself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes	2	obj	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	work	work	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	work	work	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	went	go	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	parataxis	_	_
11	merrily	merrily	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
12	along	along	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
14	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	19	cc	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	skein	skein	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	19	nsubj	_	_
17	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	19	cop	_	_
18	as	as	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	smooth	smooth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	conj	_	_
20	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
21	as	as	ADV	RB	_	22	advmod	_	_
22	fine	fine	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	conj	_	_
23	as	as	ADP	IN	_	24	case	_	_
24	hair	hair	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	22	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	29	punct	_	_
26	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	29	cc	_	_
27	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	29	advmod	_	_
28	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	29	nsubj	_	_
29	had	have	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	parataxis	_	_
30	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	32	det	_	_
31	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	32	amod	_	_
32	deal	deal	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	29	obj	_	_
33	of	of	ADP	IN	_	34	case	_	_
34	yarn	yarn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	32	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
35	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	39	punct	_	_
36	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	37	det	_	_
37	one	one	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	39	nsubj	_	_
38	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	39	aux	_	_
39	undertake	undertake	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	29	parataxis	_	_
40	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	41	det	_	_
41	weaving	weaving	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	39	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
42	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	45	punct	_	_
43	so	so	ADV	RB	_	45	advmod	_	_
44	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	45	nsubj	_	_
45	turned	turn	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	39	conj	_	_
46	to	to	ADP	IN	_	48	case	_	_
47	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	48	nmod:poss	_	_
48	doll	doll	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	45	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
49	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	51	punct	_	_
50	who	who	PRON	WP	PronType=Rel	51	nsubj	_	_
51	said	say	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	48	acl:relcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
52	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	54	punct	_	_
53	“	"	PUNCT	``	_	54	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
54	Bring	bring	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	51	ccomp	_	_
55	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	54	obj	_	_
56	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	58	det	_	_
57	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	58	amod	_	_
58	comb	comb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	54	obj	_	_
59	from	from	ADP	IN	_	60	case	_	_
60	somewhere	somewhere	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	54	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
61	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	64	punct	_	_
62	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	64	det	_	_
63	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	64	amod	_	_
64	spindle	spindle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	54	parataxis	_	SpaceAfter=No
65	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	68	punct	_	_
66	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	68	det	_	_
67	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	68	amod	_	_
68	shuttle	shuttle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	64	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
69	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	73	punct	_	_
70	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	73	cc	_	_
71	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	73	det	_	_
72	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	73	compound	_	_
73	mane	mane	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	45	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
74	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	78	punct	_	_
75	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	78	cc	_	_
76	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	78	nsubj	_	_
77	will	will	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	78	aux	_	_
78	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	parataxis	_	_
79	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	78	obj	_	_
80	for	for	ADP	IN	_	81	case	_	_
81	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	78	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
82	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	78	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
83	”	"	PUNCT	''	_	78	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **set** | past | Vasilísa | Vasilísa |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **work** | to-infinitive | Vasilísa *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **go** | past | the work |  |  |  |  | along, merrily *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 4 | **is** | past | the skein |  |  |  |  | smooth *property* | tree rules |
| 5 | **be** |  | the skein *not said here* |  |  |  |  | as hair | tree rules |
| 6 | **have** | past | work | a great deal of yarn |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent deal=Patient |
| 7 | **undertake** | would | no one | the weaving |  |  |  |  | vn begin-55.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent weaving=Eventuality |
| 8 | **turn** | past | work | some horse mane |  | Vasilísa's doll |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V PP.trajectory»: agent=Theme to doll=Trajectory |
| 9 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Vasilísa's doll |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 10 | **bring** *in a quote* | infinitive |  | some old comb | Vasilísa's doll *= doll* |  |  | some old spindle and some old shuttle *parataxis* | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP NP»: agent=Agent i=Destination comb=Theme |
| 11 | **do** *in a quote* | future | Vasilísa's doll *= doll* | comb |  |  |  | for you | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Eventuality |
| 12 | **deal** |  |  | yarn |  |  |  |  | nom deal «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .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:** «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev, Project Gutenberg book 62509 (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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