--- title: The first day the pythons went to work on the farm ’Ndere brought th… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The first day the pythons went to work on the farm ’Ndere brought the food and rattled the snail shells as she had been directed to do, and very soon afterwards the python came and took the calabashes away to the place where they were working, telling ’Ndere to wait until he had finished eating. Who --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/78/) [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/) / 78 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1, sentence 78 The first day the pythons went to work on the farm ’Ndere brought the food and rattled the snail shells as she had been directed to do, and very soon afterwards the python came and took the calabashes away to the place where they were working, telling ’Ndere to wait until he had finished eating. **Who acts:** pythons, Ndere, python, farm · **What happens:** go, work, bring, rattle, direct, do · **To what, where:** food, snail shells, Ndere, calabashes · **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 (pythons, Ndere, python, farm), 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:pg70959:24:78 # text = The first day the pythons went to work on the farm ’Ndere brought the food and rattled the snail shells as she had been directed to do, and very soon afterwards the python came and took the calabashes away to the place where they were working, telling ’Ndere to wait until he had finished eating. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 first first ADJ JJ Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 3 amod _ _ 3 day day NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obl:unmarked _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 pythons python NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 nsubj _ _ 6 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 7 to to PART TO _ 8 mark _ _ 8 work work VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 6 xcomp _ _ 9 on on ADP IN _ 11 case _ _ 10 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 11 farm farm NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 obl _ _ 12 ’ ' PUNCT `` _ 14 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 13 Ndere Ndere PROPN NNP Number=Sing 14 nsubj _ _ 14 brought bring VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 conj _ _ 15 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 food food NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 obj _ _ 17 and and CCONJ CC _ 18 cc _ _ 18 rattled rattle VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 14 conj _ _ 19 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 20 snail snail NOUN NN Number=Sing 21 compound _ _ 21 shells shell NOUN NNS Number=Plur 18 obj _ _ 22 as as SCONJ IN _ 26 mark _ _ 23 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 26 nsubj _ _ 24 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 26 aux _ _ 25 been be AUX VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 26 aux:pass _ _ 26 directed direct VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 18 advcl _ _ 27 to to PART TO _ 28 mark _ _ 28 do do VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 26 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 29 , , PUNCT , _ 36 punct _ _ 30 and and CCONJ CC _ 36 cc _ _ 31 very very ADV RB _ 32 advmod _ _ 32 soon soon ADV RB Degree=Pos 36 advmod _ _ 33 afterwards afterwards ADV RB _ 36 advmod _ _ 34 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 35 det _ _ 35 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 36 nsubj _ _ 36 came come VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 6 conj _ _ 37 and and CCONJ CC _ 38 cc _ _ 38 took take VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 6 conj _ _ 39 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 40 det _ _ 40 calabashes calabash NOUN NNS Number=Plur 38 obj _ _ 41 away away ADV RB _ 38 advmod _ _ 42 to to ADP IN _ 44 case _ _ 43 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 44 det _ _ 44 place place NOUN NN Number=Sing 38 obl _ _ 45 where where ADV WRB PronType=Rel 48 advmod _ _ 46 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 48 nsubj _ _ 47 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 48 aux _ _ 48 working work VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 44 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 49 , , PUNCT , _ 50 punct _ _ 50 telling tell VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 38 conj _ _ 51 ’ ' PUNCT `` _ 52 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 52 Ndere Ndere PROPN NNP Number=Sing 50 obj _ _ 53 to to PART TO _ 54 mark _ _ 54 wait wait VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 50 xcomp _ _ 55 until until SCONJ IN _ 58 mark _ _ 56 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 58 nsubj _ _ 57 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 58 aux _ _ 58 finished finish VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 54 advcl _ _ 59 eating eat VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 58 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 60 . . PUNCT . _ 6 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | past | the pythons | | | | day | | vn say-37.7 «NP V S-Quote»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **work** | to-infinitive | the pythons *not said here* | | | | | on the farm | vn employment-95.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent on farm=Theme | | 3 | **bring** | past | Ndere | the food | | | | | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent food=Theme | | 4 | **rattle** | past | Ndere *not said here* | the snail shells | | | | | vn animal\_sounds-38 «NP V NP.theme»: agent=Agent shell=Theme | | 5 | **direct** | past · perfect · passive | | Ndere | | | | | tree rules | | 6 | **do** | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 7 | **come** | past | the python | | | | | afterwards, soon *property* | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 8 | **take away** | past | the pythons *not said here* | the calabashes | | | | to the place; away *property* | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent calabash=Theme | | 9 | **work** | past · progressive | farm | | | | | | vn employment-95.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **tell** *speech: assert* | gerund | the pythons *not said here* | | Ndere | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent ndere=Recipient clause=Topic | | 11 | **wait** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the pythons *not said here* | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 12 | **finish** | past · perfect | python | | | | | | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Affector clause=Eventuality | | 13 | **eat** | gerund | python *not said here* | | | | | | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V»: agent=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 77](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/77/) - next →: [sentence 79](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/79/) - ↑ 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/)