--- title: When the bush buck got near the starting-place the frog came out of… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: When the bush buck got near the starting-place the frog came out of his hole, and directly the people saw that he had got back before the bush buck they declared the frog to be the winner, much to the disgust of many of the young men, who were watching the race, and who cursed the frog for his luck --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/44/) [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/) / 44 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 4, sentence 44 When the bush buck got near the starting-place the frog came out of his hole, and directly the people saw that he had got back before the bush buck they declared the frog to be the winner, much to the disgust of many of the young men, who were watching the race, and who cursed the frog for his luck in winning such a fine wife. **Who acts:** bush buck, frog, people, many young men · **What happens:** get, come out, see, get back, declare, be · **To what, where:** starting place, hole, frog, winner, race, fine wife · **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 (bush buck, frog, people, many young 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:pg70959:21:44 # text = When the bush buck got near the starting-place the frog came out of his hole, and directly the people saw that he had got back before the bush buck they declared the frog to be the winner, much to the disgust of many of the young men, who were watching the race, and who cursed the frog for his luck in winning such a fine wife. 1 When when ADV WRB PronType=Int 5 advmod _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 3 bush bush NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 compound _ _ 4 buck buck NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 nsubj _ _ 5 got get VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 advcl _ _ 6 near near ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 7 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 10 det _ _ 8 starting starting NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 9 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 8 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 10 place place NOUN NN Number=Sing 5 obl _ _ 11 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 12 frog frog NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 nsubj _ _ 13 came come VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 14 out out ADP IN _ 17 case _ _ 15 of of ADP IN _ 17 case _ _ 16 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 17 nmod:poss _ _ 17 hole hole NOUN NN Number=Sing 13 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 19 and and CCONJ CC _ 23 cc _ _ 20 directly directly ADV RB _ 23 advmod _ _ 21 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 22 det _ _ 22 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 23 nsubj _ _ 23 saw see VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ _ 24 that that SCONJ IN _ 27 mark _ _ 25 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 27 nsubj _ _ 26 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 27 aux _ _ 27 got get VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 23 ccomp _ _ 28 back back ADV RB _ 27 advmod _ _ 29 before before ADP IN _ 32 case _ _ 30 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 32 det _ _ 31 bush bush NOUN NN Number=Sing 32 compound _ _ 32 buck buck NOUN NN Number=Sing 27 obl _ _ 33 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 34 nsubj _ _ 34 declared declare VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 32 acl:relcl _ _ 35 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 36 det _ _ 36 frog frog NOUN NN Number=Sing 34 obj _ _ 37 to to PART TO _ 40 mark _ _ 38 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 40 cop _ _ 39 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 40 det _ _ 40 winner winner NOUN NN Number=Sing 36 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 41 , , PUNCT , _ 42 punct _ _ 42 much much ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 40 appos _ _ 43 to to ADP IN _ 45 case _ _ 44 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 45 det _ _ 45 disgust disgust NOUN NN Number=Sing 42 nmod _ _ 46 of of ADP IN _ 51 case _ _ 47 many many ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 51 amod _ _ 48 of of ADP IN _ 51 case _ _ 49 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 51 det _ _ 50 young young ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 51 amod _ _ 51 men man NOUN NNS Number=Plur 45 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 52 , , PUNCT , _ 55 punct _ _ 53 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 55 nsubj _ _ 54 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 55 aux _ _ 55 watching watch VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 51 acl _ _ 56 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 57 det _ _ 57 race race NOUN NN Number=Sing 55 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 58 , , PUNCT , _ 61 punct _ _ 59 and and CCONJ CC _ 61 cc _ _ 60 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 61 nsubj _ _ 61 cursed curse VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ _ 62 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 63 det _ _ 63 frog frog NOUN NN Number=Sing 61 obj _ _ 64 for for ADP IN _ 66 case _ _ 65 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 66 nmod:poss _ _ 66 luck luck NOUN NN Number=Sing 61 obl _ _ 67 in in SCONJ IN _ 68 mark _ _ 68 winning win VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 61 advcl _ _ 69 such such DET PDT PronType=Ind 72 det:predet _ _ 70 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 72 det _ _ 71 fine fine ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 72 amod _ _ 72 wife wife NOUN NN Number=Sing 68 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 73 . . PUNCT . _ 13 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **get** | past | the bush buck | | | the starting place | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | | 2 | **come out** | past | the frog | FROG's hole | | | | | vn become-109.1 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Patient hole=Result | | 3 | **see** | past | the people | | | | | directly *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 4 | **get back** | past · perfect | FROG | | | | before the bush buck | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | | 5 | **declare** *speech: other* | past | people | the frog and the winner | | | | | vn declare-29.4-1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent frog=Attribute | | 6 | **is a** | to-infinitive | people *not said here* | the winner | | | | | tree rules | | 7 | **watch** | past · progressive | the many young men | the race | | | | | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent race=Theme | | 8 | **curse** | past | | the frog | | | | for FROG's luck; who *nsubj* | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent frog=Theme for luck=Attribute | | 9 | **win** | gerund | | such fine wife | | | | | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wife=Eventuality | | 10 | **disgust** | | | the many young men | | | | | nom disgust «feeling transitive»: of=patient | 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 43](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/43/) - next →: [sentence 45](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/45/) - ↑ back to [Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/21/)