Syntax: Ambiguity 1.2

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This exercise is designed to provide you with more practice in distinguishing the difference between ambiguity at the syntactic structure level or the lexical level. This exercise will help you the decide whether ambiguity is caused by the structure of the phrase or by the meaning of specific words. For each sentence, indicate whether ambiguity is structural or lexical.

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Question 1

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? Spiderman decided to help Batman find the diamond.

A	Lexical
B	Syntactic Hint: The NP 'diamond' could refer to a gem or a baseball field. In both cases, 'diamond' is a noun, thus both readings will have the same syntactic structure.

Question 2

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? Clark Kent bought Lois Turkish pistachio candies.

A	Syntactic
B	Lexical Hint: The NP Turkish pistachio candies could be parsed as ‘candies made with Turkish pistachios’, or as ‘pistachio candies from Turkey’. The syntactic structure of these 2 readings is not the same.

Question 3

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? The position of the stranded soldiers was unclear.

A	Lexical
B	Syntactic Hint: The NP ‘position’ could refer to the physical location of the soldiers, or to their intellectual point of view. In each case, the syntactic structure remains the same.

Question 4

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? I saw the bat fly through the air.

A	Lexical
B	Syntactic Hint: 'Bat' may either be referring to an instrument used in baseball or a flying rodent. In both readings, the NP ‘bat’ remains a noun thus the syntactic structure will be the same.

Question 5

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? I made hot chocolate for the journalist in my housecoat.

A	Syntactic
B	Lexical Hint: The PP in my housecoat could either modify the V made (while I was in my pajamas, I made the hot chocolate), or modify the NP journalist (it was the journalist who was wearing my housecoat, for whom I made the hot chocolate). Thus each reading will have a different syntactic structure.

Question 6

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? The bandit was wearing new gloves and boots.

A	Syntactic
B	Lexical Hint: The NP new gloves and boots could be parsed as ‘new gloves and boots that are not new’, or as ‘gloves and boots that are both new’. Each reading has a different syntactic structure.

Question 7

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? I have to go feed my baby rabbits.

A	Syntactic
B	Lexical Hint: The sentence could be interpreted as a transitive verb structure, in which the V ‘feed’ takes my baby rabbits as the direct object, or it could be interpreted with a ditransitive structure (I have to feed rabbits to my baby), in which ‘my baby’ and ‘rabbits’ constitute separate NPs. Ewwww!

Question 8

Does the following sentence show lexical or structural/syntactic ambiguity? I stared at my neighbor with binoculars.

A	Syntactic
B	Lexical Hint: The PP 'with binoculars' may either modify the V ‘saw’ (how, or with what the action of seeing was carried), or modify the NP 'the neighbor' (it was the neighbor with the binoculars I stared at.) Each reading will have a different syntactic structure.

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Syntax: Ambiguity 1.2

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