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What does the sentence "Alma did not visit Edna before both Cleo and Dina" mean ?
Alma, Bess, Cleo, Edna and Dina are friends.
Does it mean, 1a) Alma did not visit Edna before Cleo. 1b) Alma did not visit Edna before Dina.
Does it mean, 2) Alma visited Edna before Cleo or Dina but not before both Cleo and Dina.
If this sentence comes from a logic puzzle, it means
(3): Alma visited Edna before Cleo and after Dina
OR Alma visited Edna before Dina and after Cleo
OR Alma visited Edna after both Cleo and Dina.
This is because in logic puzzles, one must interpret English sentences according to the rules of propositional logic.
I would be very surprised if this sentence didn't come from a logic puzzle, both because it is not the sort of sentence that anybody would use if they weren't writing logic puzzles, and because the five friends are strictly alphabetical.
