Read each of the following sentences carefully and decide the two ways in which the phrase structure may be interpreted in order to provide the two ambiguous interpretations. Use brackets on two copies of each headline to demonstrate the structural cause of the ambiguity. For example:
Be prepared to diagram these examples on the board in class.
| Syntactically Ambiguous News Headlines |
|---|
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1. British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands 2. Dr. Ruth to Talk about Sex with Newspaper Editors 3. Lung Cancer in Women Mushrooms 4. Teacher Strikes Idle Kids 5. Stud Tires Out 6. Soviet Virgin Lands Short of Goal Again 7. Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66 8. Reagan Wins on Budget, but More Lies Ahead 9. Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Axe 10. Miners Refuse to Work after Death 11. Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim 12. Juvenile Court Tries Shooting Defendant 13. Stolen Painting Found by Tree 14. Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years 15. Drunk Drivers Paid $1,000 in 1984 16. Grandmother of Eight Makes Hole in One 17. Stiff opposition expected to casketless funeral plan 18. Two Convicts Evade Noose, Jury Hung 19. Squad helps dog bite victim 20. Dealers will Hear Car Talk at Noon 21. Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax 22. Milk Drinkers are Turning to Powder 23. NJ Judge to Rule on Nude Beach |