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USSLosAngeles Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Negation

"He didn't follow his usual pattern, coming to work late."

Does it mean "his usual pattern" = "coming to work late"?
  

Top answer

USSLosAngeles Does it mean ... Not necessarily. It's ambiguous.

— CalifJim

  • USSLosAngeles Does it mean ...
  • Not necessarily.
  • It's ambiguous.
  • This type of sentence should be avoided as it is difficult to interpret.
  • CJ
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5 Answers
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USSLosAngelesDoes it mean ...
Not necessarily. It's ambiguous. This type of sentence should be avoided as it is difficult to interpret.

CJ
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Thank you, CalifJim!

So, in:

"He didn't follow his usual pattern, coming to work late."

"his usual pattern" should be "coming to work on time"?
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USSLosAngeles"his usual pattern" should be "coming to work on time"?
Not necessarily. The point is that we don't know. That's what "ambiguous" means. As I said, the sentence is ambiguous. Not everyone would come to the same conclusion about it.

CJ
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Would this:

"He didn't follow his usual pattern, of coming to work late."

be less ambiguous?
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USSLosAngelesWould this:"He didn't follow his usual pattern, of coming to work late."be less ambiguous?
Yes. That's not ambiguous. (No comma.)

This way you specify that the usual pattern is coming to work late.

CJ
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