Questions tagged [attachment-ambiguity]
For questions about sentences have two different interpretations depending on which part of the sentence is modified by a different part. An example is "Police kill man with a knife." It could mean that the man who was killed had a knife, or that the police used a knife to kill a man.
62
questions
4
votes
1
answer
435
views
What is the subject of this sentence to which the complement is related?
In this sentence, what is the subject to which the subject-complement is referring to?
This instruction provides the rules for sharing information originated by the Purchasing Department.
Are we ...
- 291
1
vote
2
answers
50
views
Use of 'or' before last item in series of items
For a particular job, the mandatory educational requirement was:
A degree with Zoology, Chemistry or Biochemistry as one of the subjects.
Does this sentence mean the requirement is "Zoology + ...
Sumit Kumar
3
votes
3
answers
81
views
"It offers evidence, (?) of the nonexistence of free will, which you didn't believe existed"
Are either of these two variants of this sentence grammatically correct?
It offers evidence of the nonexistence of free will, which you didn't believe existed
vs
It offers evidence, of the ...
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
111
views
What does the "that" refer to?
You use 'of' to combine two nouns when the first noun identifies the feature of the second noun that you want to talk about.
I am not sure what "I" want to talk about in the sentence.
Talking about "...
- 857
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
What is breaking on the shore? The sea foam or the waves?
What is breaking on the shore? The sea foam or the waves?
We watched the sea foam made by the waves breaking on the shore.
- 1,189
1
vote
3
answers
159
views
the differences between the adjective clause
Please explain to me the differences between these two sentences:
a) The sales girl whom we met at junction square is patient.
b) The sales girl at junction square whom we met is patient.
- 391
5
votes
4
answers
973
views
Am I to use like or unlike here?
He is not fond of sweets, like his brother.
He is not fond of sweets, unlike his brother.
My situation is:
His brother is fond of sweets but he is not.
To make this sense, which one from the pair ...
- 518
5
votes
5
answers
200
views
A question regarding a modifying clause
The subjunctive mood is the verb form used to express a wish, a suggestion, a command, or a condition that is contrary to fact.(cited from http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/subjunctive_mood.htm)
...
- 2,993
1
vote
2
answers
626
views
adjective applied to several noun
How appropriate is in English the use of a single adjective to modify several nouns?
Example 1:
Can we say: different places and orientations instead of different places and different orientations?
...
- 121
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
John threw Mama from the train a kiss
"John threw Mama from the train a kiss." This statement is used as an example of poor syntax. It sounds as if John threw Mama off the train, followed by a kiss. How would one arrange this statement ...
- 834
2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Prepositional phrase modifies another prepositional phrase? Or both modify the verb?
Consider:
Smoke hung in the air above the city.
I see lots of sentences containing the structure of "verbal phrase + prepositional phrase + prepositional phrase" like the example above.
I just do ...
- 7,015
4
votes
2
answers
137
views
what's the structure of the following sentence?
Hair production is the result of the cells of the hair follicle depositing layer after layer of protein into this tubular space.
Can anyone help me parse the above sentence?
Is "depositing layer ...
- 213