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They ate the pre-packed sandwiches and drank the cans of Coke that they brought with them in their backpacks, discarding the debris on the way. About the part in bold, does it modify 'the cans of Coke' only, or both 'the pre-packed sandwiches' and 'the cans of Coke'?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Think about it!

How could they have eaten the sandwiches they left at home?
How could they have drunk the Coke they left at home?

The part in bold modifies both 'the sandwiches they brought with them' and the 'Coke they brought with them'.

CJ

Taka · Answer

So 'pre-packed' here doesn't mean the sandwiches were put in the backpacks beforehand?

CalifJim · Answer

TakaSo 'pre-packed' here doesn't mean the sandwiches were put in the backpacks beforehand?

On the contrary, I think it does mean that, but I don't see the connection to your original question.
Even if they packed the sandwiches themselves, how could they be the sandwiches that they did not bring with them?

(Pre-packed could also mean that they they were bought already made and wrapped, though you'd expect pre-packaged for that. This is not relevant for your question, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.)

* * *
Second try:

OK. I think I see a way of interpreting this so that they were sandwiches that they did not bring with them in their backpacks. Maybe pre-packed could mean pre-packaged after all. Then what happened was that they brought only the Cokes, but they bought the pre-packed (pre-packaged) sandwiches quite close to where they ate, and never put them in their backpacks but ate them right away. In that case the clause in question modifies only the Coke part, not the sandwich part.

All in all, if you don't have enough context to resolve it, it's an ambiguous situation.

CJ

Taka · Answer

CalifJimI think it does mean that, but I don't see the connection to your original question.Even if they packed the sandwiches themselves, how could they be the sandwiches that they did not bring with them?(Pre-packed could also mean that they they were bought already made and wrapped, though you'd expect pre-packaged for that. This is not relevant for your question,

If the pre-packed meant that the sandwiches were put in the backpack beforehand, then the relative pronoun wouldn't have to refer the sandwiches because it is redundant. Don't you think so?

The context is simply about environmental destruction in national parks.

Taka · Answer

Not in national parks, but in mountains in general. Sorry.

CalifJim · Answer

TakaIf the pre-packed meant that the sandwiches were put in the backpack beforehand, then the relative pronoun wouldn't have to refer the sandwiches because it is redundant. Don't you think so?

No. I don't sense that it's a question of redundancy. (And the general context you added doesn't help, as I'm sure you already know.)

They packed the sandwiches in their backpacks.
Later they ate the pre-packed sandwiches that they brought in their backpacks.

Nothing wrong with that. Yes, there is an element of redundancy with "pre-packed" and "brought in their backpacks", but I don't see it as a really glaring redundancy. Adding the part about drinking the Cokes isn't going to affect the fact that there's nothing wrong with thinking of "that they brought" as a modifier of "sandwiches".

CJ

I'm a little surprised by one thing, though.

You usually go through these sentences with a fine-tooth comb to find alternate ways of parsing them, and you still haven't asked the question I've been waiting for:

Did they eat and drink in their backpacks? That is, does "in their backpacks" modify "ate" or "drank" or both?

{They ate the pre-packed sandwiches and drank the cans of Coke that they brought with them} in their backpacks, ...

CJ

Taka · Answer

If it meant that the sandwiches were wrapped beforehand, I wouldn't think either that the information conveyed by the relative pronoun clause was redundant.

But if 'pre-packed' meant that 'packed in their backpacks beforehand' and the relative pronoun was meant to refer to it', the sentence would be the same as:

They ate sandwiches packed in their backpacks beforehand that they brought with them in their backpacks.

and it would sound redundant, at least to me.

CalifJim : Did they eat and drink in their backpacks? That is, does "in their backpacks" modify "ate" or "drank" or both?{They ate the pre-packed sandwiches and drank the cans of Coke that they brought with them} in their backpacks, ...CJ

I crossed that option out before I posted the question.

Eating and drinking in their backpacks? Impossible, unless they are fairies or something.

CalifJim · Answer

TakaI crossed that option out before I posted the question.

Wise decision!

CJ

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