Some students' rooms

Question

1-Some students' rooms were damaged.Is there any ambiguity in that sentence?One meaning: The rooms of some students were damaged.I think the only way the sentence could have another meaning is a case where 'students' rooms' are a particular kind of room. The possessive would work the same way it does in 'children's books'. It would define a type,.We have teachers' rooms and students' rooms. The teachers' rooms are bigger.If we set aside that possibility, then 'some' necessarily modifies 'students'.I do not think '1' could meanSome rooms belonging to students were damaged.if the rooms belonged to the students collectively.Is that correct?Gratefully,Navi.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

navitasanThe rooms of some students were damaged.

navitasanSome rooms belonging to students were damaged.if the rooms belonged to the students collectively.

Those seem synonymous to me. I don't see what 'collectively' has to do with it.

navitasan 'students' rooms' are a particular kind of room

I don't even understand how that might differ.

CalifJim · Answer

navitasan1-Some students' rooms were damaged.Is there any ambiguity in that sentence?

Yes. The 'some' could go with 'students' or it could go with 'rooms'.

the rooms of some students or some rooms of students

That structure is virtually always read as 'the Xs of some Ys', however, by analogy with the usage in phrases like his brother's watch (It couldn't be 'his watch', so it has to be 'his brother'). The reverse ('some Xs of Ys') is more likely to be expressed without the 's. Example:

Many hotels' keys are made of plastic nowadays. (the keys of many hotels)
Many hotel keys are made of plastic nowadays. (many keys of hotels)
[ You can substitute 'some' for 'many' if you want. ]

Very often, as with all the examples we've discussed here, the is little practical difference between the two. In other words, both versions amount to the same thing, or so nearly so that a detailed explanation (in the form of a rewrite with an of-phrase) is seldom necessary to resolve the ambiguity.

navitasanI do not think '1' could mean Some rooms belonging to students were damaged. if the rooms belonged to the students collectively.

This isn't the usual reading (as explained above), so whether the rooms belonged individually or collectively to students makes no difference. In any case I don't see that it does.

CJ

Some students' rooms

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