Ambiguity is the characteristic of a word, expression or phrase that has double meaning or that raises doubt as to its meaning. Ambiguity can be lexical or structural. It is lexical when the word used has more than one meaning and structural when the way the word was placed in the sentence causes doubt.
1. João went after the taxi running
In this sentence, the ambiguity happens through the use of the word running. Due to the way the word was placed, it is not possible to be sure about the real meaning of the sentence.
There are two possible interpretations: João had to run after the taxi to reach him or the taxi was running at high speed and João had to go after him.
To end the ambiguity, the sentence could be written like this:
- Joao, running, went after the taxi.
- João went after the taxi that ran past.
2. Ana found the store manager with her brother
In this example, the double meaning of the sentence happens in relation to the expression his brother.
From the way the sentence was written, it is not possible to know if the brother in the sentence is Ana's brother or the store manager's brother.
Writing solutions to make the sentence unambiguous:
- Ana found her brother with the store manager.
- Ana found the store manager with his brother.
3. My dad left the shoe store
This example also leaves doubt as to the sense in which the word shoes it was used. From the way the sentence is written, it is not possible to say that it is a store that sells shoes or that the father left the store already wearing his new shoes.
To end the ambiguity, the sentence could be rewritten as follows:
- My dad left the store wearing his shoes.
- My father left the store that sells shoes.
4. He sat on the chair and broke his arm
This is an example of lexical ambiguity, as the word arm it can take on more than one meaning: chair arm or person arm. In the construction of this sentence, it is not clear which arm was broken.
To resolve the ambiguity:
- He sat down and the arm of the chair broke.
- He sat in the chair and broke his arm.
5. I visited the church in the country that suffered the attack
This is another example of the ambiguity that happens due to the way the sentence was structured. In this situation, the question remains whether the church or the country suffered the attack.
The sentence could be written in other ways to remove ambiguity.
- I visited the church that suffered the attack.
- I visited a church in that country that suffered the attack.
6. It was agreed that we will meet at the bank
This is another example of a lexical ambiguity because the word bank can have more than one meaning. In the case of this sentence, it is not possible to know at which bank the meeting was scheduled.
Sentence rewrite solutions:
- It was agreed that we met on the bench in the central square.
- It was agreed that we will meet at the bank where we ask for a loan.
See also the meanings of Ambiguous, Ambiguity and Disambiguation.
Update date: 01/13/2021.
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