2

There are no people in this room as in that room.

Out of context, I want to know if this structure is ambiguous. Can "As in that room" be read as either:

  • there are people in that room
  • there are no people in that room
Improve this question
3
  • 3
    You text isn't idiomatically valid. I could guess that it means There are no people in this room just as there are no people in that room, but no native speaker would ever say your version, and mine is very "unlikely". But is that the meaning you're trying to convey?
    – FumbleFingers
    Feb 4 at 12:44
  • @FumbleFingers I had initially intended to convey the first idea, however, I suddenly realized that there might be a possibility of it being misinterpreted as the second notion. This led to my inquiry regarding the ambiguity. Thanks for telling me that a native speaker wouldn't say that version at all.
    – ForOU
    Feb 4 at 16:20
  • Old Mother Hubbard looked in the cupboard for a bone for her dog, but there was no bone in the cupboard. So she looked in the bin, but as in the cupboard, there was no bone. That's just about valid English (though I'd prefer with rather than in), but it's not something anyone would be likely to say.
    – FumbleFingers
    Feb 4 at 17:16

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

It's hard to be sure what you mean, and I don't think an English speaker would say that at all.

  1. If you're comparing this room (with no people) and that room (with people) you might say something like this:
  • there are no people in this room, by contrast with that room.
  • there are people in that room, but not in this room.
  1. If you're comparing this room (with no people) and that room (also with no people) you might say:
  • there are no people in this room or that room.
  1. If you are using as with the meaning just as or in the same way that, then you are right that your example is ambiguous. Suppose you wrote, "There are no people in this room, as is the case in that room." I would guess that there are people in that room, but I would be rather unsure of myself.

No doubt there are other possibilities, but hopefully this will get you started.

Improve this answer
0

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