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Jandi Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Only
Hello, teachers!
- John just sold his only one-month-old car.
Does this mean 1 or 2?
1. John has only one car that is one month old, and he sold it, but he has other cars.
2. John has only one car, which is one month old, and he sold it, so now he doesn't have any car.
Thank you very much.
Best wishes!
- John just sold his only one-month-old car.
Does this mean 1 or 2?
1. John has only one car that is one month old, and he sold it, but he has other cars.
2. John has only one car, which is one month old, and he sold it, so now he doesn't have any car.
Thank you very much.
Best wishes!
Top answer
This is not a problem which is very frequently encountered, of course! It would be phrased to avoid the inherent ambiguity. The sentence does not say specifically whether John has other cars or not.
- This is not a problem which is very frequently encountered, of course!
- It would be phrased to avoid the inherent ambiguity.
- The sentence does not say specifically whether John has other cars or not.
- Therefore, it can mean either of the two.
- If it were said to me, and I were not allowed to ask for further details, I would guess (and I emphasize, guess) that it meant the first of your two choices.
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4 Answers
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This is not a problem which is very frequently encountered, of course! It would be phrased to avoid the inherent ambiguity.
The sentence does not say specifically whether John has other cars or not. Therefore, it can mean either of the two. If it were said to me, and I were not allowed to ask for further details, I would guess (and I emphasize, guess) that it meant the first of your
The sentence does not say specifically whether John has other cars or not. Therefore, it can mean either of the two. If it were said to me, and I were not allowed to ask for further details, I would guess (and I emphasize, guess) that it meant the first of your
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What about these?
1. John just sold his only car.
2. John just sold his only-one-month-old car.
Thank you very much.
Enjoy the clear sky.
1. John just sold his only car.
2. John just sold his only-one-month-old car.
Thank you very much.
Enjoy the clear sky.
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1. If he just sold his only car, then he now has no car, correct.
2. This means what you say it means, but an English speaker would be unlikely to say it! Even less likely is "John just sold his only only-one-month-old car"!!!
John just sold his car, which was only one month old. (Here we're not sure if it was his only car.)
John just sold one of his cars, which was only o
2. This means what you say it means, but an English speaker would be unlikely to say it! Even less likely is "John just sold his only only-one-month-old car"!!!
John just sold his car, which was only one month old. (Here we're not sure if it was his only car.)
John just sold one of his cars, which was only o
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