--- title: If we are to suppose Macpherson faithfully to have written down, pri… — Early Bardic Literature, Ireland. · tree and pragmatics description: If we are to suppose Macpherson faithfully to have written down, printed, and published the floating disconnected poems which he found lingering in the Scotch highlands, how small, comparatively, would be their value as indications of antique thought and feeling, reduced then for the first time to w --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8109/4/11/) [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/) / [Early Bardic Literature, Ireland.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8109/) / [Early Bardic Literature, Ireland., par…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8109/4/) / 11 # Early Bardic Literature, Ireland., Early Bardic Literature, Ireland., part 4, sentence 11 If we are to suppose Macpherson faithfully to have written down, printed, and published the floating disconnected poems which he found lingering in the Scotch highlands, how small, comparatively, would be their value as indications of antique thought and feeling, reduced then for the first time to writing, sixteen hundred years after the time of Ossian and his heroes, in a country not the home of those heroes, and destitute of the regular bardic organisation. **Who acts:** we, floating disconnected poems, you · **What happens:** be, write down, print, publish, float, disconnect · **To what, where:** floating disconnected poems, country, Scotch highlands, value, antique thought This is a sentence of «Early Bardic Literature, Ireland.» by Standish O'Grady, Early Bardic Literature, Ireland., part 4. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (we, floating disconnected poems, 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:pg8109:4:11 # text = If we are to suppose Macpherson faithfully to have written down, printed, and published the floating disconnected poems which he found lingering in the Scotch highlands, how small, comparatively, would be their value as indications of antique thought and feeling, reduced then for the first time to writing, sixteen hundred years after the time of Ossian and his heroes, in a country not the home of those heroes, and destitute of the regular bardic organisation. 1 If if SCONJ IN _ 5 mark _ _ 2 we we PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 5 nsubj _ _ 3 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 5 cop _ _ 4 to to PART TO _ 5 mark _ _ 5 suppose suppose VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 79 advcl _ _ 6 Macpherson Macpherson PROPN NNP Number=Sing 5 obj _ _ 7 faithfully faithfully ADV RB _ 10 advmod _ _ 8 to to PART TO _ 10 mark _ _ 9 have have AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 10 aux _ _ 10 written write VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 5 advcl _ _ 11 down down ADP RP _ 10 compound:prt _ SpaceAfter=No 12 , , PUNCT , _ 13 punct _ _ 13 printed print VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 10 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 14 , , PUNCT , _ 16 punct _ _ 15 and and CCONJ CC _ 16 cc _ _ 16 published publish VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 5 advcl _ _ 17 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 20 det _ _ 18 floating float VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 20 amod _ _ 19 disconnected disconnect VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 20 amod _ _ 20 poems poem NOUN NNS Number=Plur 16 obj _ _ 21 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 23 nsubj _ _ 22 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 23 nsubj _ _ 23 found find VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 20 acl:relcl _ _ 24 lingering linger VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 23 xcomp _ _ 25 in in ADP IN _ 28 case _ _ 26 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 28 det _ _ 27 Scotch scotch ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 28 amod _ _ 28 highlands highland NOUN NNS Number=Plur 24 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 29 , , PUNCT , _ 31 punct _ _ 30 how how ADV WRB PronType=Int 31 advmod _ _ 31 small small ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 28 amod _ SpaceAfter=No 32 , , PUNCT , _ 33 punct _ _ 33 comparatively comparatively ADV RB _ 31 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 34 , , PUNCT , _ 38 punct _ _ 35 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 38 aux _ _ 36 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 38 cop _ _ 37 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 38 nmod:poss _ _ 38 value value NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 nmod _ _ 39 as as ADP IN _ 40 case _ _ 40 indications indication NOUN NNS Number=Plur 38 nmod _ _ 41 of of ADP IN _ 43 case _ _ 42 antique antique ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 43 amod _ _ 43 thought thought NOUN NN Number=Sing 40 nmod _ _ 44 and and CCONJ CC _ 45 cc _ _ 45 feeling feeling NOUN NN Number=Sing 43 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 46 , , PUNCT , _ 47 punct _ _ 47 reduced reduce VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 38 acl _ _ 48 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 47 advmod _ _ 49 for for ADP IN _ 52 case _ _ 50 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 52 det _ _ 51 first first ADJ JJ Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 52 amod _ _ 52 time time NOUN NN Number=Sing 47 obl _ _ 53 to to ADP IN _ 54 case _ _ 54 writing writing NOUN NN Number=Sing 52 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 55 , , PUNCT , _ 58 punct _ _ 56 sixteen sixteen NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 57 compound _ _ 57 hundred hundred NUM CD NumForm=Word|NumType=Card 58 nummod _ _ 58 years year NOUN NNS Number=Plur 20 conj _ _ 59 after after ADP IN _ 61 case _ _ 60 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 61 det _ _ 61 time time NOUN NN Number=Sing 58 nmod _ _ 62 of of ADP IN _ 63 case _ _ 63 Ossian Ossian PROPN NNP Number=Sing 61 nmod _ _ 64 and and CCONJ CC _ 66 cc _ _ 65 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 66 nmod:poss _ _ 66 heroes hero NOUN NNS Number=Plur 63 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 67 , , PUNCT , _ 70 punct _ _ 68 in in ADP IN _ 70 case _ _ 69 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 70 det _ _ 70 country country NOUN NN Number=Sing 16 obl _ _ 71 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 73 advmod _ _ 72 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 73 det _ _ 73 home home NOUN NN Number=Sing 70 nmod _ _ 74 of of ADP IN _ 76 case _ _ 75 those that DET DT Number=Plur|PronType=Dem 76 det _ _ 76 heroes hero NOUN NNS Number=Plur 73 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 77 , , PUNCT , _ 79 punct _ _ 78 and and CCONJ CC _ 79 cc _ _ 79 destitute destitute VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 80 of of ADP IN _ 84 case _ _ 81 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 84 det _ _ 82 regular regular ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 84 amod _ _ 83 bardic bardic ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 84 amod _ _ 84 organisation organisation NOUN NN Number=Sing 79 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 85 . . PUNCT . _ 79 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | we | | | | | Macpherson *obj*; suppose *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **write down** | to-infinitive · perfect | we *not said here* | | | | | faithfully *property* | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **print** | participle | we *not said here* | | | | | | vn scribble-25.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 4 | **publish** | past | we *not said here* | the floating disconnected poems and hundred years after the time of Ossian and MacPherson's heroes | | a country the home of that heroes | | | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent poem=Result | | 5 | **float** | gerund | | | | | | | vn run-51.3.2-2 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 6 | **disconnect** | participle | | | | | | | vn disassemble-23.3 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Patient | | 7 | **find** | past | the floating disconnected poems and hundred years after the time of Ossian and MacPherson's heroes | | | | | MacPherson *nsubj* | vn declare-29.4-1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 8 | **linger** | gerund | the floating disconnected poems and hundred years after the time of Ossian and MacPherson's heroes *not said here* | the Scotch highlands | | | | | tree rules | | 9 | **is a** | would | | highlands's value | | | | as indications of antique thought and feeling; highlands *= highland* *nmod:poss* | tree rules | | 10 | **reduce** | participle | | highlands's value *not said here* | | | then; time | | vn limit-76 «NP V NP»: agent=Causer | | 11 | **destitute** | imperative | you *not said here* | | | | | of the regular bardic organisation | tree rules | | 12 | **indicate** | | | antique thought and feeling | | | | | nom indication «communication 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:** «Early Bardic Literature, Ireland.» by Standish O'Grady, Project Gutenberg book 8109 (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/pg8109/4/10/) - next →: [sentence 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8109/4/12/) - ↑ back to [Early Bardic Literature, Ireland., part 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8109/4/)