--- title: Cola-Mattheo, who was rather a simpleton, went as he was desired to… — The Green Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics description: Cola-Mattheo, who was rather a simpleton, went as he was desired to the King, and having obtained an audience, he said, ‘Your Majesty, I have often heard that people lose nothing by asking, so I have come to inform you that a snake wants to marry your daughter, and I’d be glad to know if you are wil --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/11/) [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/) / [The Green Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/) / [The Enchanted Snake](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/) / 11 # The Green Fairy Book, The Enchanted Snake, sentence 11 Cola-Mattheo, who was rather a simpleton, went as he was desired to the King, and having obtained an audience, he said, ‘Your Majesty, I have often heard that people lose nothing by asking, so I have come to inform you that a snake wants to marry your daughter, and I’d be glad to know if you are willing to mate a dove with a serpent?’ **Who acts:** Cola, King, I, people, snake, you · **What happens:** be, go, desire, obtain, say, ‘ · **To what, where:** simpleton, King, audience, Majesty, nothing, you · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Green Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, The Enchanted Snake. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Cola, King, I, people), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree. **Parsed by Mova, not checked by a teacher.** This tree is Mova's own parse (the `en` model, on the CPU, when the site is built); it may be wrong. ## The tree {#tree} ```conllu # sent_id = book:pg7277:25:11 # text = Cola-Mattheo, who was rather a simpleton, went as he was desired to the King, and having obtained an audience, he said, ‘Your Majesty, I have often heard that people lose nothing by asking, so I have come to inform you that a snake wants to marry your daughter, and I’d be glad to know if you are willing to mate a dove with a serpent?’ 1 Cola Cola PROPN NNP Number=Sing 11 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 2 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 3 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 3 Mattheo Mattheo PROPN NNP Number=Sing 1 flat _ SpaceAfter=No 4 , , PUNCT , _ 9 punct _ _ 5 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 9 nsubj _ _ 6 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 9 cop _ _ 7 rather rather ADV RB _ 9 advmod _ _ 8 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 simpleton simpleton NOUN NN Number=Sing 1 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 10 , , PUNCT , _ 1 punct _ _ 11 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 12 as as SCONJ IN _ 15 mark _ _ 13 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 15 nsubj _ _ 14 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 15 aux:pass _ _ 15 desired desire VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 11 ccomp _ _ 16 to to ADP IN _ 18 case _ _ 17 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 18 det _ _ 18 King King PROPN NNP Number=Sing 15 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 19 , , PUNCT , _ 22 punct _ _ 20 and and CCONJ CC _ 22 cc _ _ 21 having have AUX VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 22 aux _ _ 22 obtained obtain VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 11 parataxis _ _ 23 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 24 det _ _ 24 audience audience NOUN NN Number=Sing 22 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 25 , , PUNCT , _ 27 punct _ _ 26 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 27 nsubj _ _ 27 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 11 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 28 , , PUNCT , _ 29 punct _ _ 29 ‘ ‘ VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 27 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 30 Your your PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 31 nmod:poss _ _ 31 Majesty majesty NOUN NN Number=Sing 29 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 32 , , PUNCT , _ 36 punct _ _ 33 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 36 nsubj _ _ 34 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 36 aux _ _ 35 often often ADV RB _ 36 advmod _ _ 36 heard hear VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 29 conj _ _ 37 that that SCONJ IN _ 39 mark _ _ 38 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 39 nsubj _ _ 39 lose lose VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 36 ccomp _ _ 40 nothing nothing PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 39 obj _ _ 41 by by SCONJ IN _ 42 mark _ _ 42 asking ask VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 40 acl _ SpaceAfter=No 43 , , PUNCT , _ 47 punct _ _ 44 so so ADV RB _ 47 advmod _ _ 45 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 47 nsubj _ _ 46 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 47 aux _ _ 47 come come VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 27 conj _ _ 48 to to PART TO _ 49 mark _ _ 49 inform inform VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 47 xcomp _ _ 50 you you PRON PRP Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs 49 iobj _ _ 51 that that SCONJ IN _ 54 mark _ _ 52 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 53 det _ _ 53 snake snake NOUN NN Number=Sing 54 nsubj _ _ 54 wants want VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 49 advcl _ _ 55 to to PART TO _ 56 mark _ _ 56 marry marry VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 54 xcomp _ _ 57 your your PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 58 nmod:poss _ _ 58 daughter daughter NOUN NN Number=Sing 56 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 59 , , PUNCT , _ 62 punct _ _ 60 and and CCONJ CC _ 62 cc _ _ 61 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 62 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 62 ’d have VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 64 advcl _ _ 63 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 64 cop _ _ 64 glad glad ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 parataxis _ _ 65 to to PART TO _ 66 mark _ _ 66 know know VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 64 advcl _ _ 67 if if SCONJ IN _ 70 mark _ _ 68 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 70 nsubj _ _ 69 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 70 cop _ _ 70 willing willing ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 66 ccomp _ _ 71 to to PART TO _ 72 mark _ _ 72 mate mate NOUN NN Number=Sing 70 xcomp _ _ 73 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 74 det _ _ 74 dove dove NOUN NN Number=Sing 70 xcomp _ _ 75 with with ADP IN _ 77 case _ _ 76 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 77 det _ _ 77 serpent serpent NOUN NN Number=Sing 74 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 78 ? ? PUNCT . _ 64 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 79 ’ ' PUNCT '' _ 11 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | past | Cola | a simpleton | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **go** | past | Cola | | | | | | vn say-37.7 «NP V S-Quote»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 3 | **desire** | past · passive | | King | | | | to the King | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: subject=Theme | | 4 | **obtain** | gerund · perfect | | a audience | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset audience=Theme | | 5 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | King | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 6 | **‘** | infinitive | | Your Majesty | | | | | tree rules | | 7 | **hear** | present · perfect | I | | | | | often *property* | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 8 | **lose** | present | people | nothing | | | | | vn succeed-74-3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nothing=Eventuality | | 9 | **ask** *speech: ask* | gerund | | | | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **come** | present · perfect | I | | | | | | tree rules | | 11 | **inform** *speech: other* | to-infinitive | I *not said here* | | you | | | | vn tell-37.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent you=Recipient | | 12 | **want** | present | a snake | | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme | | 13 | **marry** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | a snake *not said here* | your daughter | | | | | vn amalgamate-22.2-3-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent daughter=Patient | | 14 | **have** | past | I | | | | | | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | | 15 | **is** | infinitive | | | | | | glad *property* | tree rules | | 16 | **know** | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Experiencer | | 17 | **is** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | you | mate | | | | willing *property* | tree rules | 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:** «The Green Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, Project Gutenberg book 7277 (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 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/10/) - next →: [sentence 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/12/) - ↑ back to [The Enchanted Snake](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/)