#1 (permalink) Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:02 pm ambiguous sentences |
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1) I was met at the door by a Chinese man in a suit who ran down the steps laughing.
Do we miss ", and" before "laughing"?
2) I was met at the door by a Chinese man, in a suit, running down the steps, laughing.
Is it possible to use #2 to substitute #1? What would be grammar problems with #2?
3) I was met at the door by a Chinese man in a suit, running down the steps, laughing.
Would #3 mean that I was running down the steps, laughing or the Chinese man?
4) I was met at the door by a Chinese man who was in a suit, running down the steps, laughing.
Is #4 less ambiguous?
5) I was met at the door by a Chinese man - in a suit, running down the steps, laughing.
Is 5 good enough? Not ambiguous.
6) At the door, I was met by a Chinese man, in a suit, running down, laughing.
Does fronting "at the door" guaranty it wasn't me who was in a suit, running down, laughing?
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E2e4 I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 01 Jan 2011 Posts: 1563
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