--- title: They turned as white as death when they saw their brother, whom they… — The Green Fairy Book · tree and pragmatics description: They turned as white as death when they saw their brother, whom they thought they had murdered, standing beside them alive and well, and so startled were they that when the King asked them why they had behaved so wickedly to their brother they could think of no lie, but confessed at once that they h --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/52/101/) [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 Golden Mermaid](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/52/) / 101 # The Green Fairy Book, The Golden Mermaid, sentence 101 They turned as white as death when they saw their brother, whom they thought they had murdered, standing beside them alive and well, and so startled were they that when the King asked them why they had behaved so wickedly to their brother they could think of no lie, but confessed at once that they had slain the young Prince in order to obtain possession of the golden horse and the golden bird. **Who acts:** sons, King · **What happens:** turn, see, think, murder, stand, startle · **To what, where:** brother, that, sons, young Prince, order, possession · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «The Green Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang, The Golden Mermaid. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (sons, King), 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:pg7277:52:101 # text = They turned as white as death when they saw their brother, whom they thought they had murdered, standing beside them alive and well, and so startled were they that when the King asked them why they had behaved so wickedly to their brother they could think of no lie, but confessed at once that they had slain the young Prince in order to obtain possession of the golden horse and the golden bird. 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 2 nsubj _ _ 2 turned turn VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 3 as as ADV RB _ 4 advmod _ _ 4 white white ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 2 xcomp _ _ 5 as as ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 6 death death NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ _ 7 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 9 advmod _ _ 8 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 9 nsubj _ _ 9 saw see VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 2 advcl _ _ 10 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 11 nmod:poss _ _ 11 brother brother NOUN NN Number=Sing 9 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 12 , , PUNCT , _ 15 punct _ _ 13 whom whom PRON WP PronType=Rel 15 obj _ _ 14 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 15 nsubj _ _ 15 thought think VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 11 acl:relcl _ _ 16 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 18 nsubj _ _ 17 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 18 aux _ _ 18 murdered murder VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 15 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 19 , , PUNCT , _ 20 punct _ _ 20 standing stand VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 18 advcl _ _ 21 beside beside ADP IN _ 22 case _ _ 22 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 20 obl _ _ 23 alive alive ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 20 xcomp _ _ 24 and and CCONJ CC _ 25 cc _ _ 25 well well ADV RB Degree=Pos 23 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 26 , , PUNCT , _ 29 punct _ _ 27 and and CCONJ CC _ 29 cc _ _ 28 so so ADV RB _ 29 advmod _ _ 29 startled startle VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 2 conj _ _ 30 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 32 cop _ _ 31 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 32 nsubj _ _ 32 that that PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 29 obj _ _ 33 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 36 advmod _ _ 34 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 35 det _ _ 35 King King PROPN NNP Number=Sing 36 nsubj _ _ 36 asked ask VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 29 advcl _ _ 37 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 36 obj _ _ 38 why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 41 advmod _ _ 39 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 41 nsubj _ _ 40 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 41 aux _ _ 41 behaved behave VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 36 advcl _ _ 42 so so ADV RB _ 43 advmod _ _ 43 wickedly wickedly ADV RB _ 41 advmod _ _ 44 to to ADP IN _ 46 case _ _ 45 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 46 nmod:poss _ _ 46 brother brother NOUN NN Number=Sing 41 obl _ _ 47 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 49 nsubj _ _ 48 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 49 aux _ _ 49 think think VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 41 conj _ _ 50 of of ADP IN _ 52 case _ _ 51 no no DET DT PronType=Neg 52 det _ _ 52 lie lie NOUN NN Number=Sing 49 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 53 , , PUNCT , _ 55 punct _ _ 54 but but CCONJ CC _ 55 cc _ _ 55 confessed confess VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 2 conj _ _ 56 at at ADP IN _ 57 case _ _ 57 once once ADV RB NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult 55 obl _ _ 58 that that SCONJ IN _ 61 mark _ _ 59 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 61 nsubj _ _ 60 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 61 aux _ _ 61 slain slay VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 55 ccomp _ _ 62 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 64 det _ _ 63 young young ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 64 amod _ _ 64 Prince Prince PROPN NNP Number=Sing 61 obj _ _ 65 in in ADP IN _ 66 case _ _ 66 order order NOUN NN Number=Sing 61 obl _ _ 67 to to PART TO _ 68 mark _ _ 68 obtain obtain VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 61 advcl _ _ 69 possession possession NOUN NN Number=Sing 68 obj _ _ 70 of of ADP IN _ 73 case _ _ 71 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 73 det _ _ 72 golden golden ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 73 amod _ _ 73 horse horse NOUN NN Number=Sing 69 nmod _ _ 74 and and CCONJ CC _ 77 cc _ _ 75 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 77 det _ _ 76 golden golden ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 77 amod _ _ 77 bird bird NOUN NN Number=Sing 69 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 78 . . PUNCT . _ 2 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **turn** | past | sons *= son* | | | | | white *property* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme | | 2 | **see** | past | sons *= son* | sons's brother | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer brother=Stimulus | | 3 | **think** *speech: other* | past | sons *= son* | sons's brother | | | | | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V NP ADJ»: agent=Agent whom=Attribute clause=Theme | | 4 | **murder** | past · perfect | sons *= son* | | | | | | vn murder-42.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | | 5 | **stand** | gerund | sons *= son* *not said here* | | | | | beside sons *= son*; alive *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent beside they=Location | | 6 | **startle** | past | sons *= son* *not said here* | | | | | | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer | | 7 | **is a** | past | sons *= son* | that | | | | | tree rules | | 8 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | the King | | sons *= son* | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent they=Recipient | | 9 | **behave** | past · perfect | sons *= son* | | | | | to sons's brother; wickedly *property* | vn masquerade-29.6-1 «NP V PP.attribute»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **think** *speech: other* | could | sons *= son* | | | | | of no lie | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 11 | **confess** | past | sons *= son* *not said here* | | | | | | vn confess-37.10 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 12 | **slay** | past · perfect | sons *= son* | the young Prince | | order | | | vn murder-42.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent prince=Patient | | 13 | **obtain** | to-infinitive | sons *= son* *not said here* | possession of the golden horse and the golden bird | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset possession=Theme | | 14 | **possess** | | | the golden horse | | | | | nom possession «act transitive»: of=patient | 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 100](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/52/100/) - next →: [sentence 102](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/52/102/) - ↑ back to [The Golden Mermaid](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/52/)