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Explain the structural ambiguity in each of the following sentences:the drunkard visitor rolled up the carpet?
Grace Mwenga
Dec 11, 2023
Explain the structural ambiguity in each of the following sentences:the drunkard visitor rolled up the carpet?
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Dec 11, 2023
The structural ambiguity in the sentence "the drunkard visitor rolled up the carpet" lies in the interpretation of the phrase "rolled up the carpet." It can be understood in two different ways:
1. The visitor who was drunk rolled up the carpet: In this interpretation, "the drunkard visitor" is the subject of the sentence, and "rolled up the carpet" is the action performed by the visitor. The sentence implies that the visitor, who happened to be drunk, rolled up the carpet.
2. The visitor rolled up the carpet that belonged to the drunkard: In this interpretation, "the drunkard" is an adjective modifying "visitor," and "rolled up the carpet" is the action performed by the visitor. The sentence suggests that the visitor rolled up a carpet that belonged to the drunkard.
The structural ambiguity arises because the phrase "the drunkard visitor" can be interpreted as a noun phrase with "drunkard" as an adjective modifying "visitor," or it can be interpreted as a noun phrase with "drunkard" as a noun and "visitor" as an adjective modifying it.
1. The visitor who was drunk rolled up the carpet: In this interpretation, "the drunkard visitor" is the subject of the sentence, and "rolled up the carpet" is the action performed by the visitor. The sentence implies that the visitor, who happened to be drunk, rolled up the carpet.
2. The visitor rolled up the carpet that belonged to the drunkard: In this interpretation, "the drunkard" is an adjective modifying "visitor," and "rolled up the carpet" is the action performed by the visitor. The sentence suggests that the visitor rolled up a carpet that belonged to the drunkard.
The structural ambiguity arises because the phrase "the drunkard visitor" can be interpreted as a noun phrase with "drunkard" as an adjective modifying "visitor," or it can be interpreted as a noun phrase with "drunkard" as a noun and "visitor" as an adjective modifying it.
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