--- title: When he got to the hole he found the old mother land crab at the ent… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: When he got to the hole he found the old mother land crab at the entrance, and told her his usual story, asking her to help him, as the men always gave him up, and he promised to reward her if she drove his enemy away or killed him. Who acts: hare, men, crab. 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The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (hare, men, crab), 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:pg70959:19:20 # text = When he got to the hole he found the old mother land crab at the entrance, and told her his usual story, asking her to help him, as the men always gave him up, and he promised to reward her if she drove his enemy away or killed him. 1 When when ADV WRB PronType=Int 3 advmod _ _ 2 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 3 got get VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 advcl _ _ 4 to to ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 hole hole NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obl _ _ 7 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 8 nsubj _ _ 8 found find VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 10 old old ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 13 amod _ _ 11 mother mother NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 compound _ _ 12 land land NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 compound _ _ 13 crab crab NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ _ 14 at at ADP IN _ 16 case _ _ 15 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 entrance entrance NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 17 , , PUNCT , _ 19 punct _ _ 18 and and CCONJ CC _ 19 cc _ _ 19 told tell VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 parataxis _ _ 20 her she PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 19 iobj _ _ 21 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 23 nmod:poss _ _ 22 usual usual ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 23 amod _ _ 23 story story NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 24 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 25 asking ask VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 19 advcl _ _ 26 her she PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 25 obj _ _ 27 to to PART TO _ 28 mark _ _ 28 help help VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 25 xcomp _ _ 29 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 28 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 30 , , PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 31 as as SCONJ IN _ 35 mark _ _ 32 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 33 det _ _ 33 men man NOUN NNS Number=Plur 35 nsubj _ _ 34 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 35 advmod _ _ 35 gave give VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 19 conj _ _ 36 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 35 iobj _ _ 37 up up ADP RP _ 35 compound:prt _ SpaceAfter=No 38 , , PUNCT , _ 41 punct _ _ 39 and and CCONJ CC _ 41 cc _ _ 40 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 41 nsubj _ _ 41 promised promise VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 conj _ _ 42 to to PART TO _ 43 mark _ _ 43 reward reward VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 41 xcomp _ _ 44 her she PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 43 obj _ _ 45 if if SCONJ IN _ 47 mark _ _ 46 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 47 nsubj _ _ 47 drove drive VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 43 advcl _ _ 48 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 49 nmod:poss _ _ 49 enemy enemy NOUN NN Number=Sing 47 obj _ _ 50 away away ADV RB _ 47 advmod _ _ 51 or or CCONJ CC _ 52 cc _ _ 52 killed kill VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 41 conj _ _ 53 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 52 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 54 . . PUNCT . _ 8 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **get** | past | hare | | | | | to the hole *result* | vn convert-26.6.2 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Patient to hole=Result | | 2 | **find** | past | hare | the old land crab | | the entrance | | | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.source NP.asset»: agent=Agent crab=Theme at entrance=Asset | | 3 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | | hare's usual story | crab | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent she=Recipient story=Topic | | 4 | **ask** *speech: ask* | gerund | | | crab | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP whether S\_INF»: agent=Agent she=Recipient clause=Topic | | 5 | **help** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | | | hare | | | | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Beneficiary | | 6 | **give up** | past | the men | | hare | | | always *property* | vn resign-10.11-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Source | | 7 | **promise** *speech: promise* | past | hare | | | | | | vn promise-37.13 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 8 | **reward** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | hare *not said here* | | crab | | | | vn equip-13.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent she=Recipient | | 9 | **drive away** *a condition, not said to happen* | past | crab | hare's enemy | | | | away *property* | vn nonvehicle-51.4.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent enemy=Theme | | 10 | **kill** | past | hare *not said here* | hare | | | | | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=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:** «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 19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/19/19/) - next →: [sentence 21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/19/21/) - ↑ back to [Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/19/)