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Ambiguity 18 Jun 2011, 01:41
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Hello guys. I have a general question about ambiguity...
"I like cheese more than Jack"
Is this ambiguous? I don't think so, because if I insert "I like cheese more than Jack like cheese", the Verb doesn't agree with the object. Hence, isn't it unambiguous? Doesn't the sentence clearly say that I prefer cheese over Jack, because the other option doesn't make sense grammatically?

Thanks for clarification...

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Ambiguity 18 Jun 2011, 03:14
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heyholetsgo
Hello guys. I have a general question about ambiguity...
"I like cheese more than Jack"
Is this ambiguous? I don't think so, because if I insert "I like cheese more than Jack like cheese", the Verb doesn't agree with the object. Hence, isn't it unambiguous? Doesn't the sentence clearly say that I prefer cheese over Jack, because the other option doesn't make sense grammatically?

Thanks for clarification...
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I like cheese more than Jack - wrong ( comparing cheese and jack )
I like cheese more than Jack does(verb) - right ( right comparison)
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Ambiguity 18 Jun 2011, 03:20
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My question is about ambiguity.
You could also say "I like Jessy more than Jack"
Is this ambiguous? Because again, you can't say "I like Jessy more than Jack like Jessy"...
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sudhir18n
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Ambiguity 18 Jun 2011, 03:24
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heyholetsgo
My question is about ambiguity.
You could also say "I like Jessy more than Jack"
Is this ambiguous? Because again, you can't say "I like Jessy more than Jack like Jessy"...
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"I like Jessy more than Jack" means u like jessy more than u like jack ( comparising jessy and jack )
but if your intention was to say that u like jessy more than jack likes jessy .. then the sentence is ambiguous.
In this case u have to re-write it as
"I like Jessy more than Jack does"
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Ambiguity 30 Jun 2016, 19:07
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There can be two cases of comparisons.

1. "I like cheese more than Jack"
This sentence clearly states comparison between CHEESE and JACK.
So, if your intention to compare these two, the sentence is unambiguous.

2. "I like cheese more than Jack does"
This sentence states comparison between I and JACK
It has completely different meaning than the first one.

It all depends on your/author's intention - which two things are compared by the author?

Hope it helps
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Ambiguity 30 Jun 2016, 22:48
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heyholetsgo
Hello guys. I have a general question about ambiguity...
"I like cheese more than Jack"
Is this ambiguous? I don't think so, because if I insert "I like cheese more than Jack like cheese", the Verb doesn't agree with the object. Hence, isn't it unambiguous? Doesn't the sentence clearly say that I prefer cheese over Jack, because the other option doesn't make sense grammatically?

Thanks for clarification...
Show more


Yes, Ambiguity arises because you are comparing two things that are not parallel.
When comparing two thinks, those things should be parallel. For eg : I like cheese more than Jack does. ie, i like X, more than Y does. ( you are comparing two acts)

when you say, i like james more than jones ( i like X more than Y), you r comparing two parallel things(two persons) and that is correct comparison
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Ambiguity 30 Jun 2016, 22:50
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it is ambiguous

I like cheese more than jack...

2 possible cases

Case 1
compared entity
Cheese and Jack

Meaning

I like cheese more than I like jack.

Case 2
Compared entity

I and jack

meaning

I like cheese more than Jack does....

Hope it helps :-)



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Hi there,
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