Amphibology (Noun)
Meaning
An ambiguous grammatical construction; e.g., `they are flying planes' can mean either that someone is flying planes or that something is flying planes.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The sentence "the police shot the man with a gun" is an example of amphibology, as it can be interpreted in two different ways.
- The phrase "visiting relatives can be boring" is an amphibology, as it is unclear whether the act of visiting is boring or the relatives themselves are boring.
- The sentence "they are flying planes" is a classic example of amphibology, as it can be interpreted as either people flying planes or planes flying through the air.
- The phrase "the man with a beard saw the woman" is an amphibology, as it is unclear whether the man or someone else has a beard.
- The sentence "the woman shot the man with a camera" is an example of amphibology, as it can be interpreted as either the woman using a camera to shoot the man or the woman shooting the man who has a camera.