Lying on (the) bed?

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Ashraful Haque

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May 14, 2019
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Bengali; Bangla
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Bangladesh
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Bangladesh
1) "I'm drinking coffee sitting on the bed."
2) "I'm drinking coffee on the bed."

Is 'sitting' necessary here? I know it sounds absurd but does dropping 'sitting' make it sound like the coffee was poured on the bed and you're drinking from it?
 

emsr2d2

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Jul 28, 2009
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English Teacher
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British English
Home Country
UK
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UK
1) "I'm drinking coffee sitting on the bed."
2) "I'm drinking coffee on the bed."

Is 'sitting' necessary here? I know it sounds absurd but does dropping 'sitting' make it sound like the coffee was poured on the bed and you're drinking from it?

No, it doesn't make it sound like that. We use logic to decide on the most likely meaning of a sentence. Note that a native speaker would probably say "I'm sitting on the bed, drinking coffee".
 
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