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Taka Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Possessive

My sons used to play that piano, but not anymore now.

Which interpretation is correct? Or are both possible, and it depends on context?

1:my sons=all the sons of my family
2:my sons=there may be other sons that are not mentioned here and have nothing to do with that piano
  

Top answer

If I had only that sentence to go on, I would assume 'my sons' meant 'all my sons'.

— Fivejedjon

  • If I had only that sentence to go on, I would assume 'my sons' meant 'all my sons'.
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11 Answers
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If I had only that sentence to go on, I would assume 'my sons' meant 'all my sons'.
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Does it mean that as a stand alone sentence your default interpretation is #1, but if you have other sentences with it as the context that tell you that there are other sons, it's possible to take the sentence in question as #2?
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TakaDoes it mean that as a stand alone sentence your default interpretation is #1, but if you have other sentences with it as the context that tell you that there are other sons, it's possible to take the sentence in question as #2?
It would take a lot of context to understand it as #2.
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I see. But what about this?

"You see them? They are my sons."

This "my sons" doesn't necessarily mean they are all the sons in that person's family, does it?
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TakaI see. But what about this?"You see them? They are my sons."This "my sons" doesn't necessarily mean they are all the sons in that person's family, does it?
That would depend on context.
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Right.

So when "possessive+noun" is the subject, you have a strong tendency to see it as all the things the person has, but when it's not, it seems context-dependent.

Do you have any idea why it is so?
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It's always context-dependent, in my opinion'. 'Possessive = noun' indicates all the things the person possesses unless context suggests otherwise.
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As already verified by another user, I concur as well that fivejedjon is correct. Unless the context says otherwise it refers to all such possessions.

"My sons used to play... " means all of your sons.
"My two sons used to play... " still means all, it means you only have two sons and both played that piano.
"Two of my sons used to play..." means you have more than two sons, b
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If "my sons" was modified by the restrictive relative pronoun as this, wouldn't it be different?

My sons who played that piano are now professional musicians.
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TakaMy sons who played that piano are now professional musicians.
It is an odd-sounding phrase. These are more likely:
My sons played that piano and are now professional musicians. (All)
My sons, who played that piano, are now professional musicians. (All)
Those of my sons who played that piano are now professional musicians. (
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