--- title: The young frog allowed his companions to enjoy their laugh, and when… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The young frog allowed his companions to enjoy their laugh, and when they were quiet again he said, “I have a plan, and if you will all help me I am certain to win the race, and when I have got the bush buck’s daughter for my wife I will give you a big feast, and it will be a great score to us to wi --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/27/) [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/) / [Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Change…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/) / 27 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 4, sentence 27 The young frog allowed his companions to enjoy their laugh, and when they were quiet again he said, “I have a plan, and if you will all help me I am certain to win the race, and when I have got the bush buck’s daughter for my wife I will give you a big feast, and it will be a great score to us to win her where everybody else has failed.” **Who acts:** young frog, companions, FROG, you, feast, everybody · **What happens:** allow, enjoy, be, say, have, help · **To what, where:** companions, laugh, plan, FROG, race, daughter · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 4. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (young frog, companions, FROG, you), 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:pg70959:21:27 # text = The young frog allowed his companions to enjoy their laugh, and when they were quiet again he said, “I have a plan, and if you will all help me I am certain to win the race, and when I have got the bush buck’s daughter for my wife I will give you a big feast, and it will be a great score to us to win her where everybody else has failed.” 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 young young ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 amod _ _ 3 frog frog NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 4 allowed allow VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 6 nmod:poss _ _ 6 companions companion NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 obj _ _ 7 to to PART TO _ 8 mark _ _ 8 enjoy enjoy VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 xcomp _ _ 9 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 10 nmod:poss _ _ 10 laugh laugh NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 19 punct _ _ 12 and and CCONJ CC _ 19 cc _ _ 13 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 16 advmod _ _ 14 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 16 nsubj _ _ 15 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 16 cop _ _ 16 quiet quiet ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 19 advcl _ _ 17 again again ADV RB _ 19 advmod _ _ 18 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 19 nsubj _ _ 19 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 20 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 21 “ " PUNCT `` _ 23 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 22 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 23 nsubj _ _ 23 have have VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 19 ccomp _ _ 24 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 25 det _ _ 25 plan plan NOUN NN Number=Sing 23 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 26 , , PUNCT , _ 36 punct _ _ 27 and and CCONJ CC _ 36 cc _ _ 28 if if SCONJ IN _ 32 mark _ _ 29 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 32 nsubj _ _ 30 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 32 aux _ _ 31 all all ADV RB _ 32 advmod _ _ 32 help help VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 36 advcl _ _ 33 me I PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 32 obj _ _ 34 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 36 nsubj _ _ 35 am be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 36 cop _ _ 36 certain certain ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 23 conj _ _ 37 to to PART TO _ 38 mark _ _ 38 win win VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 36 advcl _ _ 39 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 40 det _ _ 40 race race NOUN NN Number=Sing 38 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 41 , , PUNCT , _ 46 punct _ _ 42 and and CCONJ CC _ 46 cc _ _ 43 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 46 advmod _ _ 44 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 46 nsubj _ _ 45 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 46 aux _ _ 46 got get VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 57 csubj _ _ 47 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 49 det _ _ 48 bush bush NOUN NN Number=Sing 49 compound _ _ 49 buck buck NOUN NN Number=Sing 51 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 50 ’s 's PART POS _ 49 case _ _ 51 daughter daughter NOUN NN Number=Sing 46 obj _ _ 52 for for ADP IN _ 54 case _ _ 53 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 54 nmod:poss _ _ 54 wife wife NOUN NN Number=Sing 46 obl _ _ 55 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 57 nsubj _ _ 56 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 57 aux _ _ 57 give give VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 19 ccomp _ _ 58 you you PRON PRP Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs 57 iobj _ _ 59 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 61 det _ _ 60 big big ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 61 amod _ _ 61 feast feast NOUN NN Number=Sing 57 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 62 , , PUNCT , _ 69 punct _ _ 63 and and CCONJ CC _ 69 cc _ _ 64 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 69 nsubj _ _ 65 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 69 aux _ _ 66 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 69 cop _ _ 67 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 69 det _ _ 68 great great ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 69 amod _ _ 69 score score NOUN NN Number=Sing 57 obl _ _ 70 to to ADP IN _ 71 case _ _ 71 us we PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 69 nmod _ _ 72 to to PART TO _ 73 mark _ _ 73 win win VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 69 acl _ _ 74 her she PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 73 obj _ _ 75 where where ADV WRB PronType=Rel 79 advmod _ _ 76 everybody everybody PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Tot 79 nsubj _ _ 77 else else ADV RB _ 76 advmod _ _ 78 has have AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 79 aux _ _ 79 failed fail VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 73 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 80 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 81 ” " PUNCT '' _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **allow** | past | the young frog | FROG's companions | | | | | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V NP S»: agent=Causer companion=Beneficiary clause=Eventuality | | 2 | **enjoy** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | FROG's companions *not said here* | companions's laugh | | | | | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer laugh=Stimulus | | 3 | **is** | past | companions *= companion* | | | | | quiet *property* | tree rules | | 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | FROG | | | | again | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 5 | **have** *in a quote* | present | FROG | a plan | | | | | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent plan=Patient | | 6 | **help** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | future | you | | FROG | | | all *property* | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent i=Beneficiary | | 7 | **is** *in a quote* | present | FROG | | | | | certain *property* | tree rules | | 8 | **win** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | FROG *not said here* | the race | | | | | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent race=Eventuality | | 9 | **get** *in a quote* | present · perfect | FROG | the bush buck's daughter | | | | for my wife | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP PP.beneficiary»: agent=Agent daughter=Theme for wife=Beneficiary | | 10 | **give** *in a quote* | future | FROG | a big feast | you | | | | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent you=Recipient feast=Theme | | 11 | **is a** *in a quote* | future | feast | a great score | us | | | | tree rules | | 12 | **win** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | FROG *not said here* | DAUGHTER | | | | | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent she=Eventuality | | 13 | **fail** *in a quote* | present · perfect | everybody | | | | | | vn succeed-74-3-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 14 | **laugh** | | companions *= companion* | | | | | | nom laugh «communication 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 26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/26/) - next →: [sentence 28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/28/) - ↑ back to [Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/)