--- title: The sun was high in the sky before the head-man, whose business it w… — The Violet Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics description: The sun was high in the sky before the head-man, whose business it was, came to look at the date tree, expecting to find it stripped of all its fruit, but when he saw the dates so thick that they almost hid the leaves he ran back to his house, and beat a big drum till everybody came running, and eve --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg641/29/124/) [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 Violet Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg641/) / [The Nunda, Eater of People](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg641/29/) / 124 # The Violet Fairy Book, The Nunda, Eater of People, sentence 124 The sun was high in the sky before the head-man, whose business it was, came to look at the date tree, expecting to find it stripped of all its fruit, but when he saw the dates so thick that they almost hid the leaves he ran back to his house, and beat a big drum till everybody came running, and even the little children wanted to know what had happened. **Who acts:** sun, business, dates, everybody, little children · **What happens:** be, come, look, expect, find, strip · **To what, where:** sky, business, dates, leaves, big drum · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Violet Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, The Nunda, Eater of People. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (sun, business, dates, everybody), 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:pg641:29:124 # text = The sun was high in the sky before the head-man, whose business it was, came to look at the date tree, expecting to find it stripped of all its fruit, but when he saw the dates so thick that they almost hid the leaves he ran back to his house, and beat a big drum till everybody came running, and even the little children wanted to know what had happened. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 sun sun NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 4 high high ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 5 in in ADP IN _ 7 case _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 sky sky NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ 8 before before ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 10 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 11 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 12 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 13 , , PUNCT , _ 15 punct _ _ 14 whose whose PRON WP$ Poss=Yes|PronType=Rel 15 nmod:poss _ _ 15 business business NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 appos _ _ 16 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 17 nsubj _ _ 17 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 15 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 19 punct _ _ 19 came come VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 parataxis _ _ 20 to to PART TO _ 21 mark _ _ 21 look look VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 19 advcl _ _ 22 at at ADP IN _ 25 case _ _ 23 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 25 det _ _ 24 date date NOUN NN Number=Sing 25 compound _ _ 25 tree tree NOUN NN Number=Sing 21 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 26 , , PUNCT , _ 27 punct _ _ 27 expecting expect VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 19 advcl _ _ 28 to to PART TO _ 29 mark _ _ 29 find find VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 27 xcomp _ _ 30 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 29 obj _ _ 31 stripped strip VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 29 xcomp _ _ 32 of of ADP IN _ 35 case _ _ 33 all all DET PDT PronType=Tot 35 det:predet _ _ 34 its its PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 35 nmod:poss _ _ 35 fruit fruit NOUN NN Number=Sing 31 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 36 , , PUNCT , _ 40 punct _ _ 37 but but CCONJ CC _ 40 cc _ _ 38 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 40 advmod _ _ 39 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 40 nsubj _ _ 40 saw see VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 parataxis _ _ 41 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 42 det _ _ 42 dates date NOUN NNS Number=Plur 40 obj _ _ 43 so so ADV RB _ 44 advmod _ _ 44 thick thick ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 40 xcomp _ _ 45 that that SCONJ IN _ 48 mark _ _ 46 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 48 nsubj _ _ 47 almost almost ADV RB _ 48 advmod _ _ 48 hid hide VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 44 advcl _ _ 49 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 50 det _ _ 50 leaves leaf NOUN NNS Number=Plur 48 obj _ _ 51 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 52 nsubj _ _ 52 ran run VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 48 advcl _ _ 53 back back ADV RB _ 52 advmod _ _ 54 to to ADP IN _ 56 case _ _ 55 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 56 nmod:poss _ _ 56 house house NOUN NN Number=Sing 52 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 57 , , PUNCT , _ 59 punct _ _ 58 and and CCONJ CC _ 59 cc _ _ 59 beat beat VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 40 conj _ _ 60 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 62 det _ _ 61 big big ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 62 amod _ _ 62 drum drum NOUN NN Number=Sing 59 obj _ _ 63 till till SCONJ IN _ 65 mark _ _ 64 everybody everybody PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Tot 65 nsubj _ _ 65 came come VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 59 advcl _ _ 66 running run VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 65 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 67 , , PUNCT , _ 73 punct _ _ 68 and and CCONJ CC _ 73 cc _ _ 69 even even ADV RB _ 72 advmod _ _ 70 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 72 det _ _ 71 little little ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 72 amod _ _ 72 children child NOUN NNS Number=Plur 73 nsubj _ _ 73 wanted want VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 parataxis _ _ 74 to to PART TO _ 75 mark _ _ 75 know know VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 73 xcomp _ _ 76 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 78 nsubj _ _ 77 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 78 aux _ _ 78 happened happen VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 75 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 79 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | the sun | | | the sky | before the head man | high *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **come** | past | | | | | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 3 | **look** | to-infinitive | | | | | | at the date tree | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at tree=Theme | | 4 | **expect** | gerund | | | | | | | vn wish-62 «NP V for NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme | | 5 | **find** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | | business | | | | | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent it=Attribute clause=Theme | | 6 | **strip** | participle | business *not said here* | | | | | of business's fruit | vn dress-41.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 7 | **see** | past | sun | the dates | | | | thick *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer date=Stimulus | | 8 | **hide** | past | dates *= date* | the leaves | | | | almost *property* | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent leaf=Patient | | 9 | **run back** | past | sun | | | | | to sun's house *result* | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V PP.result»: agent=Theme to house=Result | | 10 | **beat** | infinitive | sun *not said here* | a big drum | | | | | vn sound\_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location drum=Theme | | 11 | **come** | past | everybody | | | | | | tree rules | | 12 | **run** | gerund | everybody *not said here* | | | | | | vn run-51.3.2-2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 13 | **want** | past | the little children | | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme | | 14 | **know** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the little children *not said here* | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 15 | **happen** | past · perfect | | | | | | | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | 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 Violet Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 641 (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 123](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg641/29/123/) - next →: [sentence 125](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg641/29/125/) - ↑ back to [The Nunda, Eater of People](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg641/29/)