--- title: The Prince was rather taken aback by the old man’s words, and consid… — The Yellow Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics description: The Prince was rather taken aback by the old man’s words, and considered for a minute what he should do; then looking at his ring, and perceiving that it sparkled as brightly as ever, he called out: ‘If this wood held even more terrible things than it does, I cannot help myself, for I must go throug --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg640/30/69/) [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 Yellow Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg640/) / [The Witch and Her Servants(22), part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg640/30/) / 69 # The Yellow Fairy Book, The Witch and Her Servants(22), part 1, sentence 69 The Prince was rather taken aback by the old man’s words, and considered for a minute what he should do; then looking at his ring, and perceiving that it sparkled as brightly as ever, he called out: ‘If this wood held even more terrible things than it does, I cannot help myself, for I must go through it.’ **Who acts:** words, Prince, ring, I, old man · **What happens:** take, consider, do, look, perceive, sparkle · **To what, where:** Prince, words, minute, myself, ring This is a sentence of «The Yellow Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, The Witch and Her Servants(22), 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 (words, Prince, ring, I), 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:pg640:30:69 # text = The Prince was rather taken aback by the old man’s words, and considered for a minute what he should do; then looking at his ring, and perceiving that it sparkled as brightly as ever, he called out: ‘If this wood held even more terrible things than it does, I cannot help myself, for I must go through it.’ 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 Prince Prince PROPN NNP Number=Sing 5 nsubj:pass _ _ 3 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 aux:pass _ _ 4 rather rather ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 5 taken take VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 0 root _ _ 6 aback aback ADV RB _ 5 advmod _ _ 7 by by ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 9 old old ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 10 amod _ _ 10 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 11 ’s 's PART POS _ 10 case _ _ 12 words word NOUN NNS Number=Plur 5 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 13 , , PUNCT , _ 15 punct _ _ 14 and and CCONJ CC _ 15 cc _ _ 15 considered consider VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 12 acl _ _ 16 for for ADP IN _ 18 case _ _ 17 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 18 det _ _ 18 minute minute NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 obl _ _ 19 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 22 obj _ _ 20 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 22 nsubj _ _ 21 should should AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 22 aux _ _ 22 do do VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 18 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 23 ; ; PUNCT : _ 25 punct _ _ 24 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 25 advmod _ _ 25 looking look VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 5 conj _ _ 26 at at ADP IN _ 28 case _ _ 27 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 28 nmod:poss _ _ 28 ring ring NOUN NN Number=Sing 25 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 29 , , PUNCT , _ 31 punct _ _ 30 and and CCONJ CC _ 31 cc _ _ 31 perceiving perceive VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 25 conj _ _ 32 that that SCONJ IN _ 34 mark _ _ 33 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 34 nsubj _ _ 34 sparkled sparkle VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 31 advcl _ _ 35 as as ADV RB _ 36 advmod _ _ 36 brightly brightly ADV RB _ 34 advmod _ _ 37 as as ADP IN _ 38 case _ _ 38 ever ever ADV RB PronType=Ind 36 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 39 , , PUNCT , _ 41 punct _ _ 40 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 41 nsubj _ _ 41 called call VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 25 conj _ _ 42 out out ADP RP _ 41 compound:prt _ SpaceAfter=No 43 : : PUNCT : _ 5 punct _ _ 44 ‘ ' PUNCT `` _ 47 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 45 If if SCONJ IN _ 47 mark _ _ 46 this this DET DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 47 det _ _ 47 wood wood NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 parataxis _ _ 48 held hold VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 52 amod _ _ 49 even even ADV RB _ 50 advmod _ _ 50 more more ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 51 advmod _ _ 51 terrible terrible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 52 amod _ _ 52 things thing NOUN NNS Number=Plur 47 nmod _ _ 53 than than SCONJ IN _ 55 mark _ _ 54 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 55 nsubj _ _ 55 does do VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 60 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 56 , , PUNCT , _ 55 punct _ _ 57 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 60 nsubj _ _ 58 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 60 aux _ SpaceAfter=No 59 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 60 advmod _ _ 60 help help VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 52 parataxis _ _ 61 myself myself PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 60 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 62 , , PUNCT , _ 66 punct _ _ 63 for for SCONJ IN _ 66 mark _ _ 64 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 66 nsubj _ _ 65 must must AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 66 aux _ _ 66 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 60 conj _ _ 67 through through ADP IN _ 68 case _ _ 68 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 66 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 69 . . PUNCT . _ 47 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 70 ’ ' PUNCT '' _ 47 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **take** | past · passive | the old man's words | the Prince | | | | aback *property* | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP ADVP»: agent=Instrument subject=Destination | | 2 | **consider** | participle | | the old man's words *not said here* | | | minute | | vn consider-29.9-1-1 «NP V whether/if S»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **do** | should | Prince | a minute | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality | | 4 | **look** | gerund | the old man's words *not said here* | | | | then | at Prince's ring | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at ring=Theme | | 5 | **perceive** | gerund | the old man's words *not said here* | | | | | | vn see-30.1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | | 6 | **sparkle** | past | ring | | | | | brightly *property* | vn light\_emission-43.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 7 | **call out** *speech: assert* | past | Prince | | | | | | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 8 | **hold** | participle | | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 9 | **do** | present | ring | | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **not** **help** | can | I | myself | | | | | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent myself=Beneficiary | | 11 | **go** | must | I | | | ring | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme through it=Initial\_Location | | 12 | **word** | | the old man | | | | | | nom word «communication transitive»: poss=agent | 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 Yellow Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 640 (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 68](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg640/30/68/) - next →: [sentence 70](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg640/30/70/) - ↑ back to [The Witch and Her Servants(22), part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg640/30/)