--- title: Later in the evening, the chief called Agbor Adam to him, and asked… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: Later in the evening, the chief called Agbor Adam to him, and asked him if he could explain what the bird had been saying, but he could not do so, and said he would like the lot caster to be consulted when they returned to Okuni. Who acts: Adam, bird, ashes. A sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Sou --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/54/) [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/pg70959/25/) / 54 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 2, sentence 54 Later in the evening, the chief called Agbor Adam to him, and asked him if he could explain what the bird had been saying, but he could not do so, and said he would like the lot caster to be consulted when they returned to Okuni. **Who acts:** Adam, bird, ashes · **What happens:** call, ask, explain, say, not do, like · **To what, where:** chief, Adam, lot caster, Okuni · **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 2. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Adam, bird, ashes), 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:pg70959:25:54 # text = Later in the evening, the chief called Agbor Adam to him, and asked him if he could explain what the bird had been saying, but he could not do so, and said he would like the lot caster to be consulted when they returned to Okuni. 1 Later late ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 15 advmod _ _ 2 in in ADP IN _ 4 case _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 evening evening NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 5 , , PUNCT , _ 7 punct _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 appos _ _ 8 called call VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 7 acl _ _ 9 Agbor Agbor PROPN NNP Number=Sing 10 compound _ _ 10 Adam Adam PROPN NNP Number=Sing 8 xcomp _ _ 11 to to ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 12 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 8 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 13 , , PUNCT , _ 15 punct _ _ 14 and and CCONJ CC _ 15 cc _ _ 15 asked ask VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 16 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 15 iobj _ _ 17 if if SCONJ IN _ 20 mark _ _ 18 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 20 nsubj _ _ 19 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 20 aux _ _ 20 explain explain VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 15 advcl _ _ 21 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 26 obj _ _ 22 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 23 det _ _ 23 bird bird NOUN NN Number=Sing 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 _ _ 26 saying say VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 20 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 27 , , PUNCT , _ 32 punct _ _ 28 but but CCONJ CC _ 32 cc _ _ 29 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 32 nsubj _ _ 30 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 32 aux _ _ 31 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 32 advmod _ _ 32 do do VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 15 conj _ _ 33 so so ADV RB _ 32 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 34 , , PUNCT , _ 36 punct _ _ 35 and and CCONJ CC _ 36 cc _ _ 36 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 15 parataxis _ _ 37 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 39 nsubj _ _ 38 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 39 aux _ _ 39 like like VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 36 ccomp _ _ 40 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 42 det _ _ 41 lot lot NOUN NN Number=Sing 42 compound _ _ 42 caster caster NOUN NN Number=Sing 39 obj _ _ 43 to to PART TO _ 45 mark _ _ 44 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 45 aux:pass _ _ 45 consulted consult VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 42 acl _ _ 46 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 48 advmod _ _ 47 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 48 nsubj _ _ 48 returned return VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 45 advcl _ _ 49 to to ADP IN _ 50 case _ _ 50 Okuni Okuni PROPN NNP Number=Sing 48 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 51 . . PUNCT . _ 15 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **call** | participle | | the chief *not said here* | Adam | | | Agbor Adam *xcomp* | vn animal\_sounds-38 «NP V PP.recipient»: agent=Agent to he=Recipient | | 2 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | | | Adam | | | late *property* | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent he=Recipient | | 3 | **explain** *speech: assert* *a condition, not said to happen* | could | Adam | | | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | past · perfect · progressive | the bird | | | | | what *obj* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic | | 5 | **not** **do** | could | bird | | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 6 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 7 | **like** | would | bird | the lot caster | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot caster=Theme | | 8 | **consult** | to-infinitive · passive | bird *not said here* | the lot caster *not said here* | | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V» | | 9 | **return** | past | ashes *= ash* | | Okuni | | | | vn convert-26.6.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Patient to okuni=Result | 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 53](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/53/) - next →: [sentence 55](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/55/) - ↑ back to [Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/)