--- title: The mountain--on which are decaying bits of walls, where, until a fe… — Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains · tree and pragmatics description: The mountain--on which are decaying bits of walls, where, until a few years ago, a strong square tower, eighty feet in height, with openings here and there, looked solemnly down on the vale--is cut off sharp on the east, west, and south sides from its wooded brethren that rise high above it, only on --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/18/5/) [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/) / [Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/) / [A Historical Tale., part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/18/) / 5 # Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains, A Historical Tale., part 1, sentence 5 The mountain--on which are decaying bits of walls, where, until a few years ago, a strong square tower, eighty feet in height, with openings here and there, looked solemnly down on the vale--is cut off sharp on the east, west, and south sides from its wooded brethren that rise high above it, only on the north side sloping gradually to its base; and it is on this side one climbs to the spot where Kaiser Henry the Vogler, or Fowler, had a decoy for birds. **Who acts:** mountain, wooded brethren, north side, magic, side, Kaiser · **What happens:** decay, look, cut off, wood, rise, slope · **To what, where:** bits, south sides, east, brethren, side, spot This is a sentence of «Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains» by Toofie Lauder, A Historical Tale., 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 (mountain, wooded brethren, north side, magic), 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:pg74323:18:5 # text = The mountain--on which are decaying bits of walls, where, until a few years ago, a strong square tower, eighty feet in height, with openings here and there, looked solemnly down on the vale--is cut off sharp on the east, west, and south sides from its wooded brethren that rise high above it, only on the north side sloping gradually to its base; and it is on this side one climbs to the spot where Kaiser Henry the Vogler, or Fowler, had a decoy for birds. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 mountain mountain NOUN NN Number=Sing 36 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 3 -- -- PUNCT , _ 7 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 on on ADP IN _ 5 case _ _ 5 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 7 nsubj _ _ 6 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 7 aux _ _ 7 decaying decay VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 2 acl _ _ 8 bits bit NOUN NNS Number=Plur 7 obj _ _ 9 of of ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 10 walls wall NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 12 punct _ _ 12 where where ADV WRB PronType=Rel 10 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 13 , , PUNCT , _ 17 punct _ _ 14 until until ADP IN _ 17 case _ _ 15 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 17 det _ _ 16 few few ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 17 amod _ _ 17 years year NOUN NNS Number=Plur 7 obl _ _ 18 ago ago ADV RB _ 17 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 19 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 20 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 23 det _ _ 21 strong strong ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 23 amod _ _ 22 square square NOUN NN Number=Sing 23 compound _ _ 23 tower tower NOUN NN Number=Sing 2 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 24 , , PUNCT , _ 26 punct _ _ 25 eighty eighty ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 26 amod _ _ 26 feet foot NOUN NNS Number=Plur 23 conj _ _ 27 in in ADP IN _ 28 case _ _ 28 height height NOUN NN Number=Sing 26 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 29 , , PUNCT , _ 31 punct _ _ 30 with with ADP IN _ 31 case _ _ 31 openings opening NOUN NNS Number=Plur 28 conj _ _ 32 here here ADV RB PronType=Dem 31 advmod _ _ 33 and and CCONJ CC _ 34 cc _ _ 34 there there ADV RB PronType=Dem 32 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 35 , , PUNCT , _ 2 punct _ _ 36 looked look VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 37 solemnly solemnly ADV RB _ 38 advmod _ _ 38 down down ADV RB _ 36 advmod _ _ 39 on on ADP IN _ 41 case _ _ 40 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 41 det _ _ 41 vale vale NOUN NN Number=Sing 36 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 42 -- -- PUNCT , _ 44 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 43 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 44 aux:pass _ _ 44 cut cut VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 36 parataxis _ _ 45 off off ADP RP _ 44 compound:prt _ _ 46 sharp sharp ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 44 xcomp _ _ 47 on on ADP IN _ 49 case _ _ 48 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 49 det _ _ 49 east east NOUN NN Number=Sing 44 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 50 , , PUNCT , _ 51 punct _ _ 51 west west ADV RB _ 44 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 52 , , PUNCT , _ 55 punct _ _ 53 and and CCONJ CC _ 55 cc _ _ 54 south South ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 55 amod _ _ 55 sides side NOUN NNS Number=Plur 36 obl _ _ 56 from from ADP IN _ 59 case _ _ 57 its its PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 59 nmod:poss _ _ 58 wooded wood VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 59 amod _ _ 59 brethren brethren NOUN NN Number=Sing 55 nmod _ _ 60 that that PRON WDT PronType=Rel 61 nsubj _ _ 61 rise rise VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 59 acl:relcl _ _ 62 high high ADV RB Degree=Pos 61 advmod _ _ 63 above above ADP IN _ 64 case _ _ 64 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 61 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 65 , , PUNCT , _ 70 punct _ _ 66 only only ADV RB _ 70 advmod _ _ 67 on on ADP IN _ 70 case _ _ 68 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 70 det _ _ 69 north north ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 70 amod _ _ 70 side side NOUN NN Number=Sing 61 obl _ _ 71 sloping slope VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 70 acl _ _ 72 gradually gradually ADV RB _ 71 advmod _ _ 73 to to ADP IN _ 75 case _ _ 74 its its PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 75 nmod:poss _ _ 75 base base NOUN NN Number=Sing 71 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 76 ; ; PUNCT , _ 82 punct _ _ 77 and and CCONJ CC _ 82 cc _ _ 78 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 82 nsubj _ _ 79 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 82 cop _ _ 80 on on ADP IN _ 82 case _ _ 81 this this DET DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 82 det _ _ 82 side side NOUN NN Number=Sing 84 nsubj _ _ 83 one one NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 82 flat _ _ 84 climbs climb VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 36 parataxis _ _ 85 to to ADP IN _ 87 case _ _ 86 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 87 det _ _ 87 spot spot NOUN NN Number=Sing 84 obl _ _ 88 where where ADV WRB PronType=Rel 97 advmod _ _ 89 Kaiser Kaiser PROPN NNP Number=Sing 97 nsubj _ _ 90 Henry Henry PROPN NNP Number=Sing 89 flat _ _ 91 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 92 det _ _ 92 Vogler Vogler PROPN NNP Number=Sing 89 flat _ SpaceAfter=No 93 , , PUNCT , _ 95 punct _ _ 94 or or CCONJ CC _ 95 cc _ _ 95 Fowler fowler NOUN NN Number=Sing 89 list _ SpaceAfter=No 96 , , PUNCT , _ 89 punct _ _ 97 had have VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 87 acl:relcl _ _ 98 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 99 det _ _ 99 decoy decoy NOUN NN Number=Sing 97 obj _ _ 100 for for ADP IN _ 101 case _ _ 101 birds bird NOUN NNS Number=Plur 99 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 102 . . PUNCT . _ 36 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **decay** | present · progressive | the mountain | bits of walls | | | year | | tree rules | | 2 | **look** | past | the mountain | south sides from east's wooded brethren | | | | on the vale; down *property* | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent on vale=Theme | | 3 | **cut off** | present · passive | | | | the east | | sharp, west *property* | vn stop-55.4-1 «NP.eventuality V» | | 4 | **wood** | participle | | | | | | | tree rules | | 5 | **rise** | present | east's wooded brethren | | | brethren | | on the north side; high *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent above it=Location | | 6 | **slope** | gerund | the north side *not said here* | | | | | to brethren's base; gradually *property* | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 7 | **is** | present | magic | | | this side | | | tree rules | | 8 | **climb** | present | this side | | | the spot | | | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme to spot=Destination | | 9 | **have** | past | Kaiser Fowler | a decoy | | | | for birds | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent decoy=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:** «Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains» by Toofie Lauder, Project Gutenberg book 74323 (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 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/18/4/) - next →: [sentence 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/18/6/) - ↑ back to [A Historical Tale., part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/18/)