is it ambiguous?

0 ⤊

when you say " im sorry to hear about you having an operation" does it mean sorry to hear that you HAD an operation? or sorry to hear that you WILL have an operation?

2007-02-28 22:26:34 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Studying Abroad

2 answers

It's ambiguous in numerous ways. The operation could be past, present or future by the grammar and you could be sorry about the operation itself or only to hear about it by the grammar.

2007-03-01 03:23:36 · answer #1 · answered by Tim 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

Almost certainly what that sentence would mean is "I am sorry to hear that you had an operation", any other interpretations are rathered strained. But I wonder if a strict grammerian would not prefer "I'm sorry to hear about your having an operation."

2007-03-01 15:14:41 · answer #2 · answered by CanProf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋