December 12, 2016　    =========

☆  ambiguity  曖昧さ

============================

If there is ambiguity in something, it is unclear or confusing. Sometimes English sentences have a lot of ambiguity. Here are some fun examples for you to look at:

“I saw a man on a hill with a telescope.” Can you see that this sentence is unclear, and has a lot of ambiguity about the meaning?

It could mean, “the man is on a hill, and I saw him through my telescope.” Or it could mean that “I can see a man, who is on a hill and has a telescope with him.” Or, it could even mean, “I can see a man, who is on a hill, and there is also a telescope on the hill.”

Here’s another one: “We fed her cat food.” Can you see the ambiguity in this one? It could mean that the people gave food to her cat. Or it could mean that the people gave food that is for cats to a woman to eat.

Funny, isn’t it?

Bye,

Chris