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Ambiguous sentences: Let's flesh them out!

Chủ đề trong 'Anh (English Club)' bởi cup79, 18/02/2004.

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  1. cup79

    cup79 Thành viên mới

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    Each of the following is open to at least two interpretations. Can you work them out? If you could offer more, I''d be most thankful...

    1. Visiting relatives can be tedious.
    2. I have a book stolen.
    3. I saw her duck.
    4. He is too lazy to study.
    .... Can you add some more?
  2. unisom

    unisom Thành viên mới

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    1. The old men and women left the room.
    2. Bill sold the invisible man''s hat.
    3. They don''t smoke or drink.
    4. The chickens are too hot to eat.
    5. I said I would see you on Tuesday.
    6. Students hate annoying professors.
    7. Sue adores men who love women who don''t smoke.
    8. They hit the man with a cane.
    9. Happily they left.
    10. Doctor helps dog bite victim.
     
  3. cup79

    cup79 Thành viên mới

    Tham gia ngày:
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    Brilliant! Thanks unisom. Let me try... feel free to correct me!
    1. The old men and women left the room. [old men and old women or only old men?]
    2. Bill sold the invisible man''''''''s hat.
    ???
    3. They don''''''''t smoke or drink.
    ???
    4. The chickens are too hot to eat.
    [The chickens can''''t eat or the speaker can''''t eat the chikens?]
    5. I said I would see you on Tuesday.
    [I said on Tue or I would see you on Tue?]
    6. Students hate annoying professors.
    [Do students annoy profs or do profs annoy students?]
    7. Sue adores men who love women who don''''''''t smoke. [the second who refers to women or men?]
    8. They hit the man with a cane. [Did they use a cane to hit or was the man carrying a cane?]
    9. Happily they left.
    [Did they leave in a happy mood or the speaker was happy on/because of their leaving?]
    10. Doctor helps dog bite victim[Did the doctor help a dog so that it bit a victim or did they help the victim who was bitten by a dog?]
    Được cup79 sửa chữa / chuyển vào 16:59 ngày 19/02/2004
  4. britneybritney

    britneybritney Thành viên rất tích cực

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    Duck is a verb or a noun?
    Can this sentence be explained the way you did with @unisom''s question number 4?
    Now it''s my turn, this one has already been posted and given the answer. Anyway, let''s see if anyone could remember
    I didn''t say you stole the money.
    Notice the intonation when speaking this sentence

    Now that I've found you, I won't let you go away...
  5. cup79

    cup79 Thành viên mới

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    He is too lazy to study
    (He does not want to study or someone doesn''''t want to study him because he is too lazy?)
    Can someone help with the two by unisom which I fail to work out?
    I don''t know how Brit''s is lexically or structurally ambiguous, which is what I am concerned with. However, when realized by being uttered with intonation and stress/focus, that sentence can have various interpretations as I show below.
    1. I didn''t say you stole the money. (stress/focus on I: maybe sombody said, but I didn''''t)
    2. I didn''t say you stole the money. (I didn''''t say but I was told/reported or whaever verbs other than say)
    3. I didn''t say you stole the money. (It is someone else (Tom, Pete..) that I said did not you)
    4. I didn''t say you stole the money. (I said you (borrowed/ate/...) the money but I did not say you stole
    5. I didn''t say you stole the money. (I said you stole sth else, say, the book, the TV...)
    etc
    Được cup79 sửa chữa / chuyển vào 01:01 ngày 21/02/2004
  6. Sil

    Sil Thành viên mới

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    QUITE observant of you cup79.
    =)
    5* from me.
    "Gomen nasai....demo..A****erui Sayuri-san.."
  7. cup79

    cup79 Thành viên mới

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    tks, SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics, is it?). Glad you are here.
    I guess, apart from two suggested by Brit, there is another interpretation for ''I had a book stolen''. It is ''I myself stole a book''. Do ya agree? Can sb check that with a native speaker?
    Here are some more ambis
    1. WWF official: The panda eats shoots and leaves (spoken lang)
    2. Notice: Customers are respectfully advised that they must consume alcoholic beverages within the building.
    3. (from BBC): Tony Blair''s statement about the capture of Saddam Hussein in 10 Downing Street ...
    4. How does Fido smell?
    5. ....Please add yours!!!
  8. nktvnvn

    nktvnvn Thành viên quen thuộc

    Tham gia ngày:
    29/10/2003
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    1. The police shot the terrorists with rifles.
    2. He fed her dog biscuit.
    3. He wanted more beautiful girls.
    (to be continued)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Trần ai một cõi biết về đâu?
    Thế gian đi đâu chẳng thấy sầu?
    Não lòng trăm mối sầu chưa dứt
    Phiền muộn do đâu? Chẳng ai cầu.
  9. cup79

    cup79 Thành viên mới

    Tham gia ngày:
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    1. The police shot the terrorists with rifles. As above: who had rifles?
    2. He fed her dog biscuit. As above: Who was fed? her or her dog?
    3. He wanted more beautiful girls.Very interesting one! Did he want more girls who are beatiful or Did he want girls who are more beautiful?)
    Được cup79 sửa chữa / chuyển vào 19:50 ngày 24/02/2004
  10. cup79

    cup79 Thành viên mới

    Tham gia ngày:
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    More ambi ....
    She cried and he got angry.

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