0
  1. I use the same books that my sister used. vs 2. I use the books that my sister used.

I think the no.1 sentence is ambiguous: the same kind(sister didn't use) or the identical books(sister used)

I also think the no.2 sentence is less ambiguous than the no.1: no2 gives me the impression that 'the books that my sister used' means 'the very books that my sister used and I inherited the books from my sister'.

What's the difference between the two sentences or what are their meanings?

Improve this question
3
  • 4
    Both are ambiguous in the matter of whether the books are physically the same ones, or merely copies of the same titles.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Jun 23 at 14:15
  • 3
    I would say "I use the same books as my sister [used]", but this too could mean either the same titles or the same physical copies.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Jun 23 at 14:18
  • 1
    OR: I use the same books my sister did.
    – Lambie
    Commented Jun 23 at 20:49

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
2

To make it less ambiguous, stating, in effect, it was not the same physical, dog-eared volume, one might say,

"I used the same edition of the book."

On the other hand, to express the opposite, that I borrowed by sister's book, one might say,

"I used my sister's old schoolbook."

There is ambiguity in language. For example the reference,

"You'd be lucky to get this employee to work for you!"

implies either the person would be a valued asset to the new employer, or, after being hired, one would be unlikely ever to see the employee perform a useful task.

Improve this answer
2

Both phrases are ambiguous because the noun ("same books") is ambiguous

If we were talking about, say, your personal trainer, neither sentence would be ambiguous because people don't come in multiple copies (yet). We know that you and your sister use the same person as your personal trainer.

Similarly, if you were talking about your training regimen, we would know that you were talking about different implementations of the same program.

However, books present a unique challenge. The phrase 'same book' can refer to the identical physical copy, or it can encompass different copies of the same book and even various editions of the same book. For instance, if I used the same textbook as my father did at university, I could still refer to it as the 'same book ', despite it being the third edition for him and the seventh edition for me. In this case, the 'same book' would have different contents, but the same title and author, illustrating the complexity of the concept.

If you want to resolve the ambiguity, you need to be more explicit than just using "same book."

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    @gomadeng This answer hinges on my favorite talking point: "Meaning is created by context." We don't walk up to a stranger, blurt one sentence, and walk away. Either of the proposed wordings could have either meaning, and the meaning doesn't lie within this sentence. It is, hopefully, created and clarified by the conversation surrounding it.
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Jun 24 at 15:24
1

It is very common in English for "the book" to refer to an edition of a title released by a particular publisher, not to a physical copy.

What anthology are you having your students buy for your intro class this year?

-- I'm having them buy the book you recommended.

So neither of your sentences is unambiguous, absent additional context.

the same book likewise could refer to a physical copy or to an edition by a particular publisher.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .