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Ceph Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Could someone explain this
Could someone explain to me why
They have a book - one book shared amongst many
These students have a book - a book shared amongst many students
But,
Many/most/some students have a book - obviously more than one book altogether
All students have a book - again more than one book
Thanks.
They have a book - one book shared amongst many
These students have a book - a book shared amongst many students
But,
Many/most/some students have a book - obviously more than one book altogether
All students have a book - again more than one book
Thanks.
Top answer
None of your 4 sentences makes it grammatically clear whether the students share a single book or each has his own book, but all 4 sentences would be interpreted by the commonsensical listener as meaning the latter.
- None of your 4 sentences makes it grammatically clear whether the students share a single book or each has his own book, but all 4 sentences would be interpreted by the commonsensical listener as meaning the latter.
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3 Answers
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None of your 4 sentences makes it grammatically clear whether the students share a single book or each has his own book, but all 4 sentences would be interpreted by the commonsensical listener as meaning the latter.
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It's an unfortunate ambiguity in the language. If context alone can't make the intention clear, you must say things like,
"Each student has a book."
"All the students have books."
"Each student has a book."
"All the students have books."
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