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Ambiguity
Ambiguity arises in four main ways:
- incorrect placement of a word or phrase,
e.g., "I only lent him a copy of that report" could mean "I gave him a copy, not the original," or "I didn't mean for him to keep
it."
- confusion of pronouns and their antecedents,
e.g., "The editor said that she failed the test." Who is "she"?
- use of a word that has two possible interpretations,
e.g., "Much conversation was going on about him" could mean "around" him or "concerning" him.
- incorrect punctuation,
e.g., "Several NIVA employees, including the woman who spoke, the bookkeeper, and the typist, went to the meeting." Is the woman who spoke a
bookkeeper? Or did the bookkeeper and the typist accompany the woman who spoke?
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