Explain the semantic ambiguity of the following sentences by providing two or more sentences that paraphrase the multiple meanings.
a. He waited by the bank.
*waited by the bank of the river.
*waited by the building you save your money.
b. Is he really that kind?
* Is he nice to others?
*What kind of person is he?
c. The proprietor of the fish store was the sole owner.
* the only owner of the store.
*the one who owned the store owned the sole fish
d. The long drill was boring.
*math exercises aren't fun
*it wasn't fun to use the hand tool (drill).
e. When he got the clear title to the land, it was a
good deed.
*the deed was okay once it was clear
* when he cleared the title, he did someone a favor
f. It takes a good ruler to make a straight line.
*to draw straight lines you need a straight edge
* let's be concise, it takes a good leader to keep things straight
g. He saw that gasoline can explode.
*gas is flammable
*the flammanle gas blew up
h. You should see her shop.
*She is quite a shopper
*She has a nice shop
i. Every man loves a woman.
* men love women
*all men like the same woman?
j. You get half off the cost of your hotel room if you make
your own bed.
*physically make the bed out of wood
*put the bed clothes on daily
k. “It’s his job to lose” (said the coach about his
new player).
*if he keeps it up he will lose his job
*it is up to him to lose this job
i. CHALLENGE: Bill wants to marry a Norwegian woman.
*get married
*perform the ceremony
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