--- title: The chief knew that ’Ndere was very dissatisfied at having a snake a… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The chief knew that ’Ndere was very dissatisfied at having a snake as a husband, and would probably be glad to marry him, although he was rather old, rather than continue to live with the python, providing the python could be got rid of. Who acts: chief, Ndere, providing. A sentence of «Ikom folk st --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/68/) [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/) / [Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/) / 68 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1, sentence 68 The chief knew that ’Ndere was very dissatisfied at having a snake as a husband, and would probably be glad to marry him, although he was rather old, rather than continue to live with the python, providing the python could be got rid of. **Who acts:** chief, Ndere, providing · **What happens:** know, be, have, marry, continue, live · **To what, where:** snake, Chief, python · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (chief, Ndere, providing), 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:pg70959:24:68 # text = The chief knew that ’Ndere was very dissatisfied at having a snake as a husband, and would probably be glad to marry him, although he was rather old, rather than continue to live with the python, providing the python could be got rid of. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 3 knew know VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 that that SCONJ IN _ 9 mark _ _ 5 ’ ' PUNCT `` _ 9 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 Ndere Ndere PROPN NNP Number=Sing 9 nsubj _ _ 7 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 9 cop _ _ 8 very very ADV RB _ 9 advmod _ _ 9 dissatisfied dissatisfied ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 ccomp _ _ 10 at at SCONJ IN _ 11 mark _ _ 11 having have VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 9 advcl _ _ 12 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 13 det _ _ 13 snake snake NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 obj _ _ 14 as as ADP IN _ 16 case _ _ 15 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 husband husband NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 17 , , PUNCT , _ 22 punct _ _ 18 and and CCONJ CC _ 22 cc _ _ 19 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 22 aux _ _ 20 probably probably ADV RB _ 22 advmod _ _ 21 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 22 cop _ _ 22 glad glad ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 parataxis _ _ 23 to to PART TO _ 24 mark _ _ 24 marry marry VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 22 advcl _ _ 25 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 24 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 26 , , PUNCT , _ 31 punct _ _ 27 although although SCONJ IN _ 31 mark _ _ 28 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 31 nsubj _ _ 29 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 31 cop _ _ 30 rather rather ADV RB _ 31 advmod _ _ 31 old old ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 22 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 32 , , PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 33 rather rather ADV RB ExtPos=CCONJ 35 cc _ _ 34 than than ADP IN _ 33 fixed _ _ 35 continue continue VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 31 advcl _ _ 36 to to PART TO _ 37 mark _ _ 37 live live VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 35 xcomp _ _ 38 with with ADP IN _ 40 case _ _ 39 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 40 det _ _ 40 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 37 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 41 , , PUNCT , _ 42 punct _ _ 42 providing provide VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 47 csubj:pass _ _ 43 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 44 det _ _ 44 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 42 obj _ _ 45 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 47 aux _ _ 46 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 47 aux:pass _ _ 47 got get VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 22 parataxis _ _ 48 rid rid ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 47 xcomp _ _ 49 of of ADP IN _ 48 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 50 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **know** | past | the chief | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer | | 2 | **is** | past | Ndere | | | | | dissatisfied *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **have** | gerund | Ndere *not said here* | a snake | | | | as a husband | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent snake=Patient | | 4 | **is** | would | | | | | | glad, probably *property* | tree rules | | 5 | **marry** | to-infinitive | | Chief | | | | | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Patient | | 6 | **is** | past | Chief | | | | | old *property* | tree rules | | 7 | **continue** | infinitive | Chief *not said here* | | | | | | vn continue-55.3 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality | | 8 | **live** | to-infinitive | Chief *not said here* | | | | | with the python | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme with python=Location | | 9 | **provide** | gerund | | the python | | | | | vn ensure-99 «NP V NP»: agent=Precondition python=Theme | | 10 | **get** | could · passive | providing | | | | | rid *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING» | 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 67](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/67/) - next →: [sentence 69](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/69/) - ↑ back to [Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/)