Jennifer washes the soap off her washcloth.
2006-12-21 18:59:23 · 6 answers · asked by IamPa 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
The washcloth had soap on it. Jennifer is getting the soap out of the washcloth.
2006-12-21 19:01:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The sentence is a subtle instance of what is called an amphiboly. An amphiboly is a statement that suffers from a structural ambiguity, which results, therefore, in its meaning being ambiguous.
This sentence implies the following two meanings:
1. Jennifer washes off [away] the soap, which is from her washcloth.
2. Jennifer washes off [away] the soap, which is on her washcloth.
Sentence (1) indicates that there was once soap on Jennifer's washcloth but now it is located on some other surface, and it is being washed off (away) from this other surface. Sentence (2), on the other hand, conforms to our common intuitions about the original sentence meaning. (2) indicates that Jennifer is washing off (away) the soap, which is on the surface of her washcloth.
Notice that the meaning in (1) has an implied past tense, whereas (2) does not.
2006-12-22 03:22:56 · answer #2 · answered by russell_my_frege 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It indicates that this person is a "clean freak". This person is so fastidiious that she washes the washcloth to get soap out of it.
2006-12-22 03:01:57 · answer #3 · answered by ignoramus 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it may be menas when she washes soapy thing so many times or washes something very soapy, the washcloth get excess soap & she try to get rid of.
2006-12-22 03:10:39 · answer #4 · answered by Sneha 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
She is rinsing the soap residue out of the cloth. What does your question mean?
2006-12-22 03:01:38 · answer #5 · answered by Tellin' U Da Truth! 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Gee...i don't know. It is very confusing.
2006-12-22 03:01:35 · answer #6 · answered by Star 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋