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Azz Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Knew he was smart but not a genius
a. I knew he was smart but not a genius.
Can't this sentence mean two things?
1. He was smart, but not a genius. And I knew that.
2. I knew he was smart, but I did not know that he was a genius.
b. I knew he was good but not excellent.
Doesn't this one have the same kind of ambiguity?
1. He was good, but not excellent. And I knew that.
2. I knew he was good, but I did not know that he was excellent.
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Many thanks.
Can't this sentence mean two things?
1. He was smart, but not a genius. And I knew that.
2. I knew he was smart, but I did not know that he was a genius.
b. I knew he was good but not excellent.
Doesn't this one have the same kind of ambiguity?
1. He was good, but not excellent. And I knew that.
2. I knew he was good, but I did not know that he was excellent.
.
Many thanks.
Top answer
I agree that they are ambiguous. In spoken English, the speaker would likely use emphasis to make it clear--or change the words.
- I agree that they are ambiguous.
- In spoken English, the speaker would likely use emphasis to make it clear--or change the words.
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1 Answers
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I agree that they are ambiguous. In spoken English, the speaker would likely use emphasis to make it clear--or change the words.
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