arise in some cases. For example, can either mean 'This boy killed a big pig' or 'A big pig killed this boy'. To solve this, a subject marker can be used. In Hiri Motu, the subject marker is , which is placed immediately after the subject of the sentence. With it, the sentence reads: (literally, 'This boy <subject marker>, a big pig he killed.') - 'This boy killed a big pig.' The subject marker should only be used in cases where ambiguity occurs. Subject markers are never used in sentences with intransitive verbs. Interrogatives is sometimes spelt and pronounced . always follows the noun it is referring to, while always follows it. Questions should be asked affirmatively, as otherwise some of the answers received can be confusing. For example, receiving the reply ('yes') to the question ('hasn't he come?') can mean 'Yes, he hasn't come yet'. If the person has arrived, the answer would be: ('No, he has come'). Conjunctions Examples: ('Walk carefully, lest you fall.') ('He went to the river (in order) to catch fish.') 'To be' and 'to have' When 'to be' is used as a connecting word, the particles and can be used and are interchangeable. For example: or both mean 'he is a good boy'. There is no Hiri Motu verb form of 'to have' in the sense of possession. In true Hiri Motu, a local would express that they have a dog with the phrase for 'I have a dog', (literally, 'I with my dog'.) There are no standards for these expressions in Hiri Motu. Numbers The numbers 1–5 in Hiri Motu are, respectively, , , , , . The number system in Hiri Motu goes up to 100,000. Many of the numbers in Hiri Motu are polysyllabic. For example, 99 in Hiri Motu is . Most Papuans know the English number system and use that instead. History The language has a history pre-dating European contact; it developed among members of the Hiri trade cycle (mainly in sago and clay pots) between the Motu people and their neighbours on the southeast coast of the island of New Guinea. In early European colonial days, the use of Hiri Motu was spread due to its adoption by the Royal Papuan Constabulary (hence the name Police Motu). By the early 1960s, Hiri Motu was the lingua franca of a large part of the country. It was the first