Questions tagged [ambiguity]
This tag is for questions about words or phrases that have multiple meanings and can thus be understood in different ways. If your question is about different words that can be easily mixed up or confused use the tag CONFUSABLES instead.
1,155 questions
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Which conjunction is more appropriate in a negative list 'and' or 'or'?
I came across a conditioner label that proudly says it's "Made Without: silicones, sulfates, parabens, and synthetic dyes." My instinct was that it might sound more natural or more correct ...
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Meaning of gaff/gaffe
In the video at 0.41 she uses the phrase “gaff/ gaffe themselves”. The dictionary lists many meanings, pronunciation is same for both the words and I am mentioning those I feel could be of relevance....
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Comparison with 'like/as' after a negative clause
As your sis, I must warn you (I am your sis.)
Like your sis, I must warn (I am not, but
she and I have similar attitudes.)
However, after a negative clause, a comparison with like/as usually refers to ...
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What's the term for confusing language that stays popular despite better alternatives?
I've noticed that some phrases create yes/no confusion but remain widely used in professional settings, even though clearer alternatives exist.
Phone: "Do you mind holding?" (yes could mean ...
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The meaning of 'let's steal/steel ourselves here' [closed]
I am not sure what Jimmy Carr said and meant in this passage.
I suppose he meant to say 'steel ourselves', but it could be a play on words in this context, with the secondary meaning of 'steal':
16:...
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Distributive Interpretation of Plurality in Coordinated Adjective-Noun Phrases [duplicate]
In English, when a plural noun is modified by two coordinated adjectives, is the default interpretation that the noun applies separately to each adjective?
For example, in the sentence:
The closet ...
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What does 'also' refer to in 'A:Jane takes dancing classes. | B:I also love dancing.'? [closed]
A student made this dialogue:
A: Jane takes dancing classes.
B: I also love dancing.
Does 'I also love dancing.' here mean 'Like Jane, I love dancing.'?
Is 'also' used idiomatically in this context?
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What's more common: car seat or child seat?
What's more common for a safety seat for a child in a car: a car seat or a child seat? I've seen both but I feel that a car seat without an additional context can be misunderstood because it can be ...
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What explains English's lack of a distinct and unique passive inflectional marker distinct from other uses since ‘‑ed’ means so many things?
I want to understand why English’s lack of a distinct, unique morphological marker for passive does not lead to misunderstandings. You use ‑ed for many things and this doesn’t bother you. Why not?
It ...
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they are a kind of time machine, so real~
The most surreal consequence of melting ice and rising seas is that together they are a kind of time machine, so real that they are altering the length of our days. It works like this: As the glaciers ...
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What are the rules for demonstrative pronouns?
I'm wondering about how to determine what demonstrative pronoun points to. The specific example I have in mind is from 2024 DnD rules, but I'd like answers that focus on grammar if that's possible. ...
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"In sober fact" meaning
What does "in sober fact" mean.
I know that "in fact", is used to emphasize the truth of something, especially when it may seem contrary.
However, adding sober must somehow change ...
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Can ambiguity arise from the "that" in a that-clause being misinterpreted as a determiner?
In some cases, it seems that the word "that" could be interpreted as being a determiner or as being part of a that-clause. Consider the statements A, B and C. A, B and C are placeholders ...
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How to tell the difference of "echo", "resonate", and "strike a chord"? Do native speakers often use these three word together? [closed]
I read a short passage and confused by the usage of these three words. Here's the passage.
A Ukrainian woman posted on Xiaohongshu(a lifestyle social media platform in China) a picture of her looking ...
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In saying "how things ought to be how they ought to be..." is the use of "ought to be" redundant? [closed]
Below is a quote from Herbert Simon (italics his, not mine)-
"...the designer, is concerned with how things ought to be how they ought to be in order to attain goals, and to function."
How ...
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Are there examples of triple entendres in English?
I don't know if triple entendres exist. I did a lot of online research, but I what I found were examples of double entendres. There were examples that claimed to be triple entendres, but they had one ...
user514790
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Adverb modifying two other adverbs
In the phrase "can express herself very fluently and precisely," does "very" modify both "fluently" AND "precisely"? Or just "fluently"? Or is it ...
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He doesn’t go fishing with friends(,) as he once promised [ [not] to]
I am trying to translate a sentence.
Which is the correct interpretation?
He doesn’t go fishing with friends(,) as he once promised. = He doesn’t go fishing with friends, as he once promised to.
He ...
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Confused with a sentence mixing conjunctions without commas
These are the exclusions wording of my home insurance policy:
LPG fuelled, oil fired, warm air, solar and unvented heating systems or boilers with an output over 60Kw/hr
I have an “unvented heating ...
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Meaning of "How many Euros can be exchanged for 5 USD?"
Take the question How many euros can be exchanged for 5 USD?
I see two possible meanings:
It's asking about the amount of Euros that we must exchange to exchange to get 5 USD
It's asking about the ...
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"you get A instead of B, as with C", then who goes with C?
In Shane Cook's book CUDA Programming 2012, page 87, there is such a sentence:
As a consequence you get two transactions instead of one, as with the stripe layout.
The author talks about two kind of ...
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Does "assess the use of two strategies by this business as an effective strategy" mean that both strategies have to be effective, or is it ambiguous?
I am currently discussing with someone whether this question means one or two things.
The question is as follows:
With reference to a business you have studied, assess the use of two strategies by ...
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How do you avoid ambiguity without using multiple possessive nouns when using relative structures?
I'm writing some research that involves explaining some relational data structures. I frequently find it very difficult to remove ambiguity from the sentences I am trying to write. For example, the ...
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Why use "modeless" as the opposite of "modal" in UI design? [closed]
"Modeless" is widely used which is not in the dictionary such as "Modal and Modeless Dialog Boxes". Why they do not use "modaless"?
If "Modal" is the adjective ...
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Which is correct? brrr v brr v brrrrr [closed]
I have come across brrr and brr - which is someone indicating that they are cold.
So which spelling is correct?
Or can you be REALLY cold - BRRRRRR! Interjections! Aha!
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