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Anonymous Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

"I just got to work" ambiguity

So it occurred to me just now that the sentence "I just got to work" could mean either: 1. I just arrived at work ("work" in this instance referring to one's place of employment) or 2. I just started working ("work" referring to the activity in this case).

I'm interested in how one would explain the ambiguity between the two understandings from a grammatical perspective. Is "to work" a prepositional phrase in one analysis (the one that understands "work" to mean the place) and maybe a catenative complement in the second (in which one understands "work" to mean the action of working) ?


Huge thanks in advance!

  

Top answer

" (= I just arrived at my place of employment. This is the meaning that would almost always be intended with this sentence. " D: "I just got to work on it.

— Anonymous

  • " (= I just arrived at my place of employment.
  • This is the meaning that would almost always be intended with this sentence.
  • " D: "I just got to work on it.
  • " (= I just started working on it.
  • " D: "It absolutely devastated me.
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3 Answers
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The context in which the given sentence appears would make the meaning clear, for example:


A: "Where are you now?"

B: "I just got to work." (= I just arrived at my place of employment. This is the meaning that would almost always be intended with this sentence. The meanings shown below are unusual.)


C: "What about the report I asked you to do?"

D: "I ju

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I have a hunch that your guesses are correct, but I will let others more versed in grammar respond to your question.

There is also a third interpretation that you did not mention.

"I just got to work" could also be interpreted as "I must work."

Imagine a guy who has been unemployed with various bills piling up saying to his wife, "I just got to work to pay all these bills." I

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anonymousIs "to work" a prepositional phrase in one analysis (the one that understands "work" to mean the place) and maybe a catenative complement in the second (in which one understands "work" to mean the action of working) ?

That's a pretty good explanation, but I can't see "work" as a verb in either interpretation.

a) work = the workplace
b) wo

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