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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Linguistics Studies

Ambiguous Adverb

"I cannot really believe her."

Ms. Tina Ericsson of Stockholm University writes (on the Web) that:

1. Some people feel that "really" modifies the modal negation. (I guess that means "cannot.")

2. Some people feel that "really" modifies the main verb. ("Believe," I assume.)

3. Some people feel that "really" modifies the whole clause.

May I have your opinion?

THANK YOU
  

Top answer

I'm not a grammarian, but I vote for #2. If the sentence was, "I really cannot believe her," I'd go for #3. Really is used for emphasis, so I feel it should precede the word it modifies.

— Nikoo

  • I'm not a grammarian, but I vote for #2.
  • If the sentence was, "I really cannot believe her," I'd go for #3.
  • Really is used for emphasis, so I feel it should precede the word it modifies.
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2 Answers
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I'm not a grammarian, but I vote for #2. If the sentence was, "I really cannot believe her," I'd go for #3. Really is used for emphasis, so I feel it should precede the word it modifies.
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Thank you VERY MUCH, Nikoo, for your reply. If I understood Ms. Ericsson's article correctly, some "researchers" (as she calls them) find good arguments for all three interpretations. So some "researchers" would certainly agree with yours.

This adverb is SO diffcult. Let me tell you a secret: the founder of another grammar helpline told me that she preferred that people not ask any qu
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