2

I didn't know she was going to be there until 5 minutes before service.

Is it ambiguous?

1 I didn't know until 5 minutes before service that she was going to be there.

or

2 I didn't know that she was going to remain there (only) until 5 minutes before service.

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5
  • 2
    Yes, it could mean two things.
    – Astralbee
    Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 9:24
  • 1
    Both seem to me to mean the same.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 9:44
  • 1
    @KateBunting in case 1, the narrator realises 5 minutes before the service, in case 2, "she" is there until 5 minutes before the service (and presumably left then)
    – matt freake
    Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 10:16
  • 2
    @mattfreake - Oh, I see - thanks. Of course, in speech the difference would be obvious from the intonation.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 10:46
  • shmoop.com/quotes/i-shot-an-elephant-in-my-pajamas.html
    – Boba Fit
    Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 17:54

1 Answer 1

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2

There is more ambiguity in the second version than the first, though from context it ought to be easy to know which meaning was intended.

I didn't know that she was going to be there until 5 minutes before service, and then have to leave.

I didn't know that she was going to be there until 5 minutes before service, when she surprised me by walking into the kitchen.

The first seems clearer, that you had no idea she would turn up until she did, just before some timed event.

btw, 'before service' implies a restaurant/kitchen. If you meant a church, then you would use 'before the service'.

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  • 1
    +1 for showing how context can clear up the ambiguity! I'd give you another +1 if I could for explaining "service" vs. "the service".
    – Ben Kovitz
    Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 16:27
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    But if you substitute mass for service, you don't need the article! (Also for named services such as Evensong or Matins; but they are names. Mass isn't). Isn't English wonderful.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 17:35

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