HANOI METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

SEMANTICS AND LEXICOLOGY

FINAL PROJECT
Topic: Ambiguity in sentences and how to avoid it

Student’s name : DƯƠNG PHƯƠNG NGÂN

Student’s code : 221001392
Group: 30ENG023N01

Hanoi, May 2024

 HANOI METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

SEMANTICS AND LEXICOLOGY

FINAL PROJECT
Topic: Ambiguity in sentences and how to avoid it

Student’s name : DƯƠNG PHƯƠNG NGÂN

Student’s code Class : 30ENG023N01

Giám khảo 1 Giám Khảo 2

ĐIỂM

Nguyễn Thị Ánh Nguyệt

Hanoi, May 2024

Contents
A, Introduction...............................................................................................................................4
B, Content.......................................................................................................................................4
I, Structural ambiguity..............................................................................................................4
1, Definition:...........................................................................................................................4
2, Type of structural ambiguity...........................................................................................4
II, Lexical amibiguity................................................................................................................7
1, Definition............................................................................................................................7
2, Type of lexical ambiguity..................................................................................................7
III, Comparison with Vietnamese............................................................................................8
C, Conclusion.................................................................................................................................9
D, References..................................................................................................................................9
A, Introduction
Each language has certain grammatical rules and ways of using words which need to be
followed. However, because of lacking knowledge about these rules, there are some
native speakers and many language learners do not abide by the rules, making their
sentences confusing. Therefore, research on grammatical and lexical mistakes that
contribute to the ambiguity of sentences is crucial, helping people use languages more
precisely

B, Content
I, Structural ambiguity
1, Definition:
A sentence is considered structurally ambiguous when its structure permits more than one
interpretation
2, Type of structural ambiguity
a, Structure using many coordinated segments
*Reason for this type of ambiguity: This will occur when elements in a structure
contain many coordinated elements connected by the conjunction “ and” or “or”
Ex: John and Mary or Pat will go
This sentence can be understood in two ways:

EitherJohn and Mary or Path will go John will go with either Mary or Pat
*How to avoid this type of ambiguity
Use Corrective conjunctions to identify pairs of subjects that go together
->This sentence can be rewritten into Either John and Mary or John and Pat will
go/Either John and Mary or Pat alone will go.
b, The structure contains a Coordinate head with only one complement
A coordinate head is a phrase made up of 2 or more nouns, linked by a coordinating
conjunction. Consequently, if it doesn’t have enough adjectives to modify the two nouns,
the coordinated head can become confused
Eg: The captain ordered the old men and women off the ship.

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The phrase “ old men and women ”can be interpreted in two ways Older men and
women of all ages [(old men) and women].or Men and women both belong to the
older group [old (men and women)].

*How to avoid this type of ambiguity

The writer may be forced to sacrifice the brevity of the content to ensure an accurate
reading of the message. The phrase “the old men and women” can therefore be rewritten
as “the old men and old women” or “the old men and women of all ages” depending on
the writer's purpose
c, Structure using prepositional phrases
A prepositional phrase can modify a verb ( it acts as an adverb) or a noun (it acts as an
adjective). Due to such flexibility, if not placed correctly, it can cause misunderstandings
in terms of meaning
Ex: Sherlock saw the man with binoculars.
There are two ways to understand this sentence

->Sherlock uses binoculars, not other devices, to observe the man.(the prepositional
phrase “ with binoculars modifies the verb “saw”)

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->Sherlock observed the man who had binoculars on him.(the prepositional phrase “
with binoculars modifies the verb “saw”)
*How to avoid this type of ambiguity
-If the prepositional phrase modifies the verb, the writer can move the prepositional
phrase( With binoculars, Sherlock saw the man)
-If the prepositional phrase modifies a noun phrase, the writer can use a relative
clause. ( Sherlock saw the man who had binoculars)
d, The structure uses multiple prepositional phrases
*Reason: Using multiple prepositional phrases in a sentence without clarifying the object
they modify can also lead to a similar misunderstanding of the writer's meaning.
Ex: Put the bottle on the table in the kitchen.
This sentence can be understood in two ways

Place the bottle that was on the table (this table may be somewhere in the kitchen.)

Put the bottle on a table, and this table is in the kitchen.

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*How to avoid this type of ambiguity
Use a terminal juncture, use a relative clause, or add information to the sentence.( Put the
bottle, which is on the table, in the kitchen )
e, The structure uses gerunds/participles
Eg: Visiting relatives can be boring.
“Visiting relatives ” can be a Noun phrase( relatives who visit )or Compound noun ( the
action of visiting people who are relatives)

*How to avoid ambiguity

Turn the phrase “Visiting relatives” into “To visit relatives” or use the relative clause
“Relatives who visit”.
II, Lexical ambiguity
1, Definition
Lexical ambiguity occurs when a word in a sentence can be interpreted in two ways
2, Type of lexical ambiguity
There are two types of lexical ambiguity: Ambiguity caused by polysemy and ambiguity
caused by homonymy
a Lexical ambiguity caused by polysemy
*Definition: Polysemy is a relationship in which a single word has two or more slightly
different but closely related meanings. This means a sentence containing polysemy can be
interpreted in two ways
*Example :
The club is dead

In this case, “dead” could mean the club has closed down, or it could mean that the club
is lacking an exciting environment.

*Some common polysemy and their meanings

- Disposable :
+Disposable ( adj): made to be thrown after use
Eg: disposable cups

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+Disposable ( adj): available to use
Eg: disposable assets, disposable income (= money they are free to spend after paying
taxes, etc.)
-Composition
+Composition :the different parts that something is made of; how the different parts are
organized:
Eg: The chemical composition of the soil in this area has been degraded
+Composition( n): ‘A piece of music or writing that someone has written
Eg: His compositions received many compliments
+Composition The way that people or things are arranged in a painting or a photograph’
This painting has a unique composition
-Delivery
+The act of taking goods, letters or parcels to people’s houses or places of work
+The manner in which someone speaks
-Others: Interprete, channel, movement, apply, figure...
b, Lexical ambiguity caused by homonymy
*Definition: Homonymy is the relationship in which various words have the same
( sound and written ) form but have different meanings
*Example
There’s a bat in the attic.
In this sentence, “bat” could refer to an animal, or it could refer to the wooden object
that’s used in baseball.
3, How to deal with lexical ambiguity
*Writer/Speaker: The best way to avoid lexical ambiguity in your writing is to provide
your reader with as much context as possible. When your reader has context, they can
better understand the intention of a word. Another way to avoid lexical ambiguity is to
consider your word choice. Write clearly, simply and consider using synonyms that can’t
be confused
*Reader/listener:
Learn vocabulary from the core meaning: Any polysemous word has a core meaning,
and transferred meanings are formed from this core meaning. Therefore, language
learners should learn the original meaning before learning the transformed meanings of
polysemous words. Learning from the original meaning helps learners remember longer
and can draw the connection between the original meaning and the transformed meaning.
III, Comparison with Vietnamese
1, Structural ambiguity
a, Combine the adverb with the subject:

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This is the mistake in which a noun/noun phrase both acts as an adverb,( in relation to the
preceding preposition), and also as a subject( in relation to the verb or adjective which
comes after)
.Eg: “Qua bài thơ Tiếng ru của Tố hữu đã để lại trong lòng ta một ấn tượng sâu sắc”
->The noun “ bài thơ Tiếng du ” both modifies the preposition “ qua ”and combines with
the phrase “ của Tố Hữu ” to become the subject of the sentence
*How to deal with this ambiguity
-The first way: Eliminate the adverbial function of the noun/noun phrase by removing the
preposition at the beginning of the sentence, making it only have the subject function.
-> The example can be rewritten into “Bài thơ Tiếng ru của Tố Hữu đã để lại trong lòng
người đọc một ấn tượng sâu sắc.”
-Second way: Separate the noun/noun phrase into two different grammatical components
(adverb and subject), if the noun has a determiner that represents the relationship of
belonging and the meaning of the sentence is suitable to apply this way. This means
removing the preposition “của” and replacing it with a comma
-> The sentence can be rewritten “ Qua bài thơ Tiếng ru, Tố Hữu đã để lại trong lòng ta
một ấn tượng sâu sắc”.
b, Combine the modifier with the subject:
A combination of complements with subjects is the mistake in which a noun/noun phrase
both functions as a modifier to a verb or adjective and also functions as a subject to a
verb or adjective. or the equivalent language that follows, considered at the same level of
syntactic relationship
Eg “Nguyễn Du thông cảm sâu sắc đối với mẹ con người ăn mày đã gánh chịu bao đau
khổ”
->The noun “ mẹ con người ăn mày” is the modifier of the verb “ cảm thông ” . It is also
the subject of the verb “ gánh chịu ”
*How to deal with this kind of ambiguity
-Eliminate the subject function of the noun phrase by placing a comma after it and
creating a subject for the following verb by repeating words, using synonyms or using
substitute pronouns
-Use a period to create two different sentences
->The sentence can be rewritten “Nguyễn Du thông cảm sâu sắc đối với mẹ con người ăn
mày, họ đã phải gánh chịu bao đau khổ”or Nguyễn Du đã cảm thông sâu sắc đối với mẹ
con người ăn mày. Họ đã phải gánh chịu bao đau khổ
2, Lexical ambiguity
This kind of ambiguity is also similar to the ambiguity in English
Bà già đi chợ cầu Đông
Bói xem một quẻ lấy chồng lợi chăng?
Thầy bói xem quẻ nói rằng,
Lợi thì có lợi, nhưng răng không còn.
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->The word “ lợi” can be understood as “ beneficial” or a part of the mouth

C, Conclusion
In conclusion, If the structure or words in a sentence can be understood in two
ways, this sentence can be ambiguous. Depending on the type of ambiguity, there
are different ways to deal with structural and lexical ambiguity.

D, References
1,Le Nguyen Ngoc Yen. ( December, 2023).Lexical ambiguity thường gặp trong đề thi IELTS
Listening -Phần 1: Polysemy . https://zim.vn/lexical-ambiguity-thuong-gap-trong-de-thi-ielts-
listening-phan-1-polysemy
2, Zim Academy.(2/2022).Hiểu về sự mơ hồ về cấu trúc trong tiếng anh qua sơ đồ hình cây và
giải pháp . https://zim.vn/su-mo-ho-ve-cau-truc-structural-ambiguity-trong-tieng-anh-qua-so-do-
hinh-cay-tree-diagram
3,Các loại lỗi ngữ pháp và cách sửa.(11,2016) . http://thduclong.pgdductho.edu.vn/Hoat-dong-
chuyen-mon/cac-loai-loi-ngu-phap-va-cach-sua-1075.html

Word count : 1798

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