--- title: When the cat heard where it was, she said, “But the river, how can I… — Gleanings from Chinese folklore · tree and pragmatics description: When the cat heard where it was, she said, “But the river, how can I get across the river?” to which he replied, “I can swim, and when you come to the bank you get on my back and I will take you across.” Who acts: cat, neighbour, son, you. A sentence of «Gleanings from Chinese folklore» by Nellie Na --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/14/54/) [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/) / [Gleanings from Chinese folklore](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/) / [How the Dog and Cat Came to Be Enemies](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/14/) / 54 # Gleanings from Chinese folklore, How the Dog and Cat Came to Be Enemies, sentence 54 When the cat heard where it was, she said, “But the river, how can I get across the river?” to which he replied, “I can swim, and when you come to the bank you get on my back and I will take you across.” **Who acts:** cat, neighbour, son, you · **What happens:** hear, be, say, get, reply, swim · **To what, where:** river, bank, back, you · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Gleanings from Chinese folklore» by Nellie Naomi Russell, How the Dog and Cat Came to Be Enemies. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (cat, neighbour, son, you), 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:pg75089:14:54 # text = When the cat heard where it was, she said, “But the river, how can I get across the river?” to which he replied, “I can swim, and when you come to the bank you get on my back and I will take you across.” 1 When when ADV WRB PronType=Int 4 advmod _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 3 cat cat NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 4 heard hear VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 10 advcl _ _ 5 where where ADV WRB PronType=Rel 7 advmod _ _ 6 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 7 nsubj _ _ 7 was be VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 8 , , PUNCT , _ 4 punct _ _ 9 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 10 nsubj _ _ 10 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 10 punct _ _ 12 “ " PUNCT `` _ 15 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 13 But but CCONJ CC _ 15 cc _ _ 14 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 15 det _ _ 15 river river NOUN NN Number=Sing 10 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 16 , , PUNCT , _ 20 punct _ _ 17 how how ADV WRB PronType=Int 20 advmod _ _ 18 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 20 aux _ _ 19 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 20 nsubj _ _ 20 get get VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 15 conj _ _ 21 across across ADP IN _ 23 case _ _ 22 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 23 det _ _ 23 river river NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 24 ? ? PUNCT . _ 20 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 25 ” " PUNCT '' _ 20 punct _ _ 26 to to ADP IN _ 27 case _ _ 27 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 29 obl _ _ 28 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 29 nsubj _ _ 29 replied reply VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 20 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 30 , , PUNCT , _ 34 punct _ _ 31 “ " PUNCT `` _ 34 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 32 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 34 nsubj _ _ 33 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 34 aux _ _ 34 swim swim VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 29 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 35 , , PUNCT , _ 39 punct _ _ 36 and and CCONJ CC _ 39 cc _ _ 37 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 39 advmod _ _ 38 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 39 nsubj _ _ 39 come come VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 34 conj _ _ 40 to to ADP IN _ 42 case _ _ 41 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 42 det _ _ 42 bank bank NOUN NN Number=Sing 39 obl _ _ 43 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 44 nsubj _ _ 44 get get VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 42 acl:relcl _ _ 45 on on ADP IN _ 47 case _ _ 46 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 47 nmod:poss _ _ 47 back back NOUN NN Number=Sing 44 obl _ _ 48 and and CCONJ CC _ 51 cc _ _ 49 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 51 nsubj _ _ 50 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 51 aux _ _ 51 take take VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 39 conj _ _ 52 you you PRON PRP Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs 51 obj _ _ 53 across across ADV RB _ 51 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 54 . . PUNCT . _ 15 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 55 ” " PUNCT '' _ 15 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **hear** | past | the cat | | | | | | vn see-30.1-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 2 | **be** | past | neighbour | | | | | | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 3 | **say** *speech: ask* | past | cat | | | | | the river *ccomp* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 4 | **get** *in a quote* | can | cat | | | the river | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 5 | **reply** *speech: assert* | past | son | | | | | which *obl* | vn say-37.7-1 «NP V PP.recipient S-Quote»: agent=Agent to which=Recipient clause=Topic | | 6 | **swim** *in a quote* | can | son | | | | | | vn run-51.3.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 7 | **come** *in a quote* | present | you | | | the bank | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to bank=Initial\_Location | | 8 | **get** *in a quote* | present | you | the bank *not said here* | | my back | | | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP PP.source»: agent=Agent bank=Theme on back=Source | | 9 | **take** *in a quote* | future | son | | you | | | across *property* | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP ADVP»: agent=Instrument you=Destination | 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:** «Gleanings from Chinese folklore» by Nellie Naomi Russell, Project Gutenberg book 75089 (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/pg75089/14/53/) - next →: [sentence 55](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/14/55/) - ↑ back to [How the Dog and Cat Came to Be Enemies](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/14/)