"Jack and Bill's father" means what ?

Question

Q. "Jack and Bill's father came." means what?

A. Jack came and Bill's father also came.

B. The father whose sons are Jack and Bill came.

If it can mean either one, how can we make it clear to mean only one for each option?

As for option B, maybe can I say "Jack's and Bill's father came."?

Thank you very much for your help in advance. :-)

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Jack and Bill's father = the father of the brothers named Jack and Bill

Jack's and Bill's fathers = the two seperate men who are the father of Jack and Bill, respectively.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Q. "Jack and Bill's father came." means what?

A. Jack came and Bill's father also came.

B. The father whose sons are Jack and Bill came.

If it can mean either one, how can we make it clear to mean only one for each option?

It can mean either one. The context will normally make it very clear.

You are obviously talking about people the listener knows, since you call them by their first names.

And the listener might reasonably know that Jack and Bill are, or are not, brothers.

But without any context, it's likely to me that you are talking about two brothers. If not, I think a native speaker would instinctively avoid that wording.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Your sentence is ambiguous, so it would be better to structure it differently, e.g.

A. - Jack came, and so did Bill's father.

B - The father of Jack and Bill came also / too / as well.

Simon Stanley

"Jack and Bill's father" means what ?

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