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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

Concerning the sentence: He didn't work for a long time today.

0I'd happy if you answer my question.02br
02br
00Concerning the sentence: He didn't work for a long time today.02br
02br
00 Does this sentence mean that he worked for a short time today, or that he did something other than working for a long time?0-
  

Top answer

0 The sentence is ambiguous. The problem is the scope of the negation. This is a common problem in English.

— CalifJim

  • 0 The sentence is ambiguous.
  • The problem is the scope of the negation.
  • This is a common problem in English.
  • (01i 00Call me a taxi.
  • 02br 02br 00 In my own writing I would not use the sentence at all.
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2 Answers
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0 The sentence is ambiguous. The problem is the scope of the negation. This is a common problem in English. (01i00Call me a taxi. OK, you're a taxi.02i00)02br
02br
00 I think the first impulse of a native speaker is to read that sentence with your second interpretation: 01i00For a long time today this was happening: He wasn't working.0
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