--- title: The chief replied that the man would certainly be killed, if he had… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The chief replied that the man would certainly be killed, if he had mutilated Chief Oga by force without a very good reason, but that if they considered he was justified in his action, he would be allowed to go free. Who acts: chief, men. A sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by El --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/146/) [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/) / [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/) / [Xxiii.--why Edidor Killed Her Husband…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/) / 146 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxiii.--why Edidor Killed Her Husband and Her Lover., sentence 146 The chief replied that the man would certainly be killed, if he had mutilated Chief Oga by force without a very good reason, but that if they considered he was justified in his action, he would be allowed to go free. **Who acts:** chief, men · **What happens:** reply, kill, mutilate, consider, be, allow · **To what, where:** man, Chief, action · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxiii.--why Edidor Killed Her Husband and Her Lover.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (chief, men), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree. **Mova's own parse.** This tree may be wrong. ## The tree {#tree} ```conllu # sent_id = book:pg70959:17:146 # text = The chief replied that the man would certainly be killed, if he had mutilated Chief Oga by force without a very good reason, but that if they considered he was justified in his action, he would be allowed to go free. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 3 replied reply VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 that that SCONJ IN _ 10 mark _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 nsubj:pass _ _ 7 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 10 aux _ _ 8 certainly certainly ADV RB _ 10 advmod _ _ 9 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 10 aux:pass _ _ 10 killed kill VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 15 punct _ _ 12 if if SCONJ IN _ 15 mark _ _ 13 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 15 nsubj _ _ 14 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 15 aux _ _ 15 mutilated mutilate VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 3 conj _ _ 16 Chief Chief PROPN NNP Number=Sing 15 obj _ _ 17 Oga Oga PROPN NNP Number=Sing 16 flat _ _ 18 by by ADP IN _ 19 case _ _ 19 force force NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 obl _ _ 20 without without ADP IN _ 24 case _ _ 21 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 24 det _ _ 22 very very ADV RB _ 23 advmod _ _ 23 good good ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 24 amod _ _ 24 reason reason NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 25 , , PUNCT , _ 41 punct _ _ 26 but but CCONJ CC _ 41 cc _ _ 27 that that SCONJ IN _ 30 mark _ _ 28 if if SCONJ IN _ 30 mark _ _ 29 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 30 nsubj _ _ 30 considered consider VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 41 advcl _ _ 31 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 33 nsubj _ _ 32 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 33 cop _ _ 33 justified justified ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 30 xcomp _ _ 34 in in ADP IN _ 36 case _ _ 35 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 36 nmod:poss _ _ 36 action action NOUN NN Number=Sing 33 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 37 , , PUNCT , _ 30 punct _ _ 38 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 41 nsubj:pass _ _ 39 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 41 aux _ _ 40 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 41 aux:pass _ _ 41 allowed allow VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 3 conj _ _ 42 to to PART TO _ 43 mark _ _ 43 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 41 xcomp _ _ 44 free free ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 43 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 45 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **reply** *speech: assert* | past | the chief | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **kill** | would · passive | | the man | | | | certainly *property* | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme | | 3 | **mutilate** *a condition, not said to happen* | past · perfect | chief | Chief | | | | by force; without a good reason | vn destroy-44 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent chief=Patient | | 4 | **consider** *a condition, not said to happen* | past | men *= man* | | | | | | vn consider-29.9-1-1 «NP V whether/if S»: agent=Agent | | 5 | **is** | past | chief | | | chief's action | | justified *property* | tree rules | | 6 | **allow** | would · passive | | chief | | | | | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V NP S»: subject=Beneficiary clause=Eventuality | | 7 | **go** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | chief *not said here* | | | | | free *property* | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 8 | **act** | | chief | | | | | | nom action «act intransitive»: 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:** «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Project Gutenberg book 70959 (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 145](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/145/) - next →: [sentence 147](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/147/) - ↑ back to [Xxiii.--why Edidor Killed Her Husband and Her Lover.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/)