Syntax: The Sentence Patterns of

Language

Angela Stepancic

AmbiguityAmbiguity- the term used to describe a word,

phrase, or sentence with multiple meanings

Structural Ambiguity- the phenomenon in which the same sequence of words has two or more meanings based on different phrase structure analyses

e.g., He saw a boy with a telescope.

Let’s take a look…

He saw a boy with a telescope.

Is this the man seeing the boy?

Or is this the boy that he sees?

Examples from the media:• STOLEN PAINTING FOUND BY TREE

• SQUAD HELPS DOG BITE VICTIM

What could the original ambiguous headline be?

• While holding an ax, a farmer is injured by a cow.

• An enraged cow uses an ax to injure a farmer.

What could the original ambiguous headline be?

• Seven-foot tall doctors sue a hospital

• Seven podiatrists sue a hospital

Let’s do some together

• Please turn to page 166.

• Look at exercise number 3.

• Paraphrase each of the sentences in two ways to show the ambiguity.

Exercise #3A. Dick finally decided on the boat.

B. The professor’s appointment was shocking.

C. The design has big squares and circles.

D. That sheepdog is too hairy to eat.

E. Could this be the invisible man’s hair tonic?

Exercise #3 cont.• F. The governor is a dirty street fighter.

• G. I cannot recommend him too highly.

• H. Terry loves his wife and so do I.

• I. They said she would go yesterday.

• J. No smoking section available.

Cleaning it upSometimes ambiguous sentences can be fixed

simply by adding more words for clarification:

We painted the wall with cracks.

We painted the wall that was covered with

cracks.

Cleaning it upSometimes ambiguous sentences can be fixed

simply by adding more words for clarification:

The raft floated down the river sank.

The raft that was floated

down the river sank.

Cleaning it upSometimes ambiguous sentences can be fixed

simply by adding more words for clarification:

Fat people eat accumulates.

The fat that people eat

accumulates in their bodies.

ConclusionIt is better to add than to leave confused

and wondering.

It is better to add words to clarify the sentence than to leave the reader confused

and wondering what you meant.

References

• www.fun-with-words.com/ambiguities.html

• http://www.putlearningfirst.com/language/

• Class textbook- Introduction to Language