--- title: Although Agbor Adam could not understand what the bird said, he susp… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: Although Agbor Adam could not understand what the bird said, he suspected something of the truth, so, having fitted an arrow to his bow, he aimed at the bird, thinking that if he could only kill him the trouble would be finished, but Aictor flew away. Who acts: Agbor Adam, bird, Adam, Aictor. A sent --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/62/) [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/) / 62 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 2, sentence 62 Although Agbor Adam could not understand what the bird said, he suspected something of the truth, so, having fitted an arrow to his bow, he aimed at the bird, thinking that if he could only kill him the trouble would be finished, but Aictor flew away. **Who acts:** Agbor Adam, bird, Adam, Aictor · **What happens:** not understand, say, suspect, fit, aim, think · **To what, where:** something, arrow, bow, bird, trouble · **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 (Agbor Adam, bird, Adam, Aictor), 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:pg70959:25:62 # text = Although Agbor Adam could not understand what the bird said, he suspected something of the truth, so, having fitted an arrow to his bow, he aimed at the bird, thinking that if he could only kill him the trouble would be finished, but Aictor flew away. 1 Although although SCONJ IN _ 6 mark _ _ 2 Agbor Agbor PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 compound _ _ 3 Adam Adam PROPN NNP Number=Sing 6 nsubj _ _ 4 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 6 aux _ _ 5 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 6 advmod _ _ 6 understand understand VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 13 advcl _ _ 7 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 10 obj _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 bird bird NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 nsubj _ _ 10 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 6 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 6 punct _ _ 12 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 13 nsubj _ _ 13 suspected suspect VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 14 something something PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Ind 13 obj _ _ 15 of of ADP IN _ 17 case _ _ 16 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 17 det _ _ 17 truth truth NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 22 punct _ _ 19 so so ADV RB _ 22 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 20 , , PUNCT , _ 21 punct _ _ 21 having have AUX VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 22 aux _ _ 22 fitted fit VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 13 conj _ _ 23 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 24 det _ _ 24 arrow arrow NOUN NN Number=Sing 22 obj _ _ 25 to to ADP IN _ 27 case _ _ 26 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 27 nmod:poss _ _ 27 bow bow NOUN NN Number=Sing 24 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 28 , , PUNCT , _ 30 punct _ _ 29 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 30 nsubj _ _ 30 aimed aim VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ _ 31 at at ADP IN _ 33 case _ _ 32 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 33 det _ _ 33 bird bird NOUN NN Number=Sing 30 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 34 , , PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 35 thinking think VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 30 advcl _ _ 36 that that SCONJ IN _ 41 mark _ _ 37 if if SCONJ IN _ 41 mark _ _ 38 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 41 nsubj _ _ 39 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 41 aux _ _ 40 only only ADV RB _ 41 advmod _ _ 41 kill kill VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 35 ccomp _ _ 42 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 41 obj _ _ 43 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 44 det _ _ 44 trouble trouble NOUN NN Number=Sing 41 obj _ _ 45 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 47 aux _ _ 46 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 47 aux:pass _ _ 47 finished finish VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 44 acl _ SpaceAfter=No 48 , , PUNCT , _ 51 punct _ _ 49 but but CCONJ CC _ 51 cc _ _ 50 Aictor Aictor PROPN NNP Number=Sing 51 nsubj _ _ 51 flew fly VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 conj _ _ 52 away away ADV RB _ 51 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 53 . . PUNCT . _ 13 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **not** **understand** | could | Agbor Adam | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the bird | | | | | what *obj* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic | | 3 | **suspect** | past | bird | something of the truth | | | | | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent something=Attribute | | 4 | **fit** | gerund · perfect | bird *not said here* | a arrow | | | | to bird's bow *goal* | vn adjust-26.9 «NP V NP PP»: agent=Agent arrow=Patient to bow=Goal | | 5 | **aim** | past | Adam | | | | | at the bird | vn wish-62 «NP V for NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot | | 6 | **think** *speech: other* | gerund | Adam *not said here* | | | | | | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 7 | **kill** *a condition, not said to happen* | could | Adam | bird | | | | the trouble *obj* | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Stimulus he=Experiencer trouble=Result | | 8 | **finish** | would · passive | | the trouble *not said here* | | | | | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP.eventuality V» | | 9 | **fly away** | past | Aictor | | | | | away *property* | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | 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 61](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/61/) - next →: [sentence 63](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/63/) - ↑ 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/)