especially with a mask on

[navi tasan]

1) He knows how I talk to such people, especially with a mask on.
Meaning: He knows how I talk to such people, especially when they have a mask on.

2) He knows how I talk to such a person, especially with a mask on.
Meaning: He knows how I talk to such a person, especially when they have a mask on.

Are #1 and #2 correct with the give meanings?

I feel that the final clause modifies 'I'.

 

[teechar]

Theoretically, you, he, or "such people" could be wearing the mask!
As we have repeatedly said: context is important.

I don't understand why you keep formulating ambiguous sentences such as the above, or how doing so might help you improve your English.

 

[5jj]

I don't understand why you keep formulating ambiguous sentences such as the above,

navi and azz have a years-long interest in (potentially) ambiguous sentences.

 

[Rover_KE]

It's their hobby.

 

[emsr2d2]

@navi tasan You've successfully created two ambiguous sentences, which appears to have been your aim. Now tell us how you would construct those sentences to ensure they're not ambiguous.

 

[navi tasan]

Thank you all very much,

It is my obsession, and she has sort of 'caught it' because we talk about these things together.

Ambiguity is something that worries me! This dates back to the time I was a translator.

I actually thought that the adverbial clause could only refer back to the subject of the sentence. I saw a sentence like this in the wild, where the clause referred to the last noun and I thought the writer had made a mistake.

I would say 'when I am wearing a mask' or 'when they are wearing a mask' depending on the context.

I try to avoid ambiguity the best I can.

A sentence like
You can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor.
can cause trouble.

Respectfully,
Navi

 

[emsr2d2]

I can understand that you're very interested in ambiguity and I understand why. What I don't understand is why you're spending time purposely creating ambiguous statements.

You said "I saw a sentence like this in the wild". I'd like to suggest that, in future, you copy (or note down) such sentences exactly as you see/hear them, including context, before asking us about them. It's a much better use of your time (and ours) to work on real-life examples.

 

[Tarheel]

Forget about "try". Instead, say:

I avoid ambiguity to the best of my ability.

Or something like that.

The effort is implied.

 

[navi tasan]

Thank you very much, emsr2d2 and Tarheel,

In this case you really needed to have a lot of context to understand what the sentence meant. I'd have to copy at least one paragraph to make things clear.

I never try to 'fabricate' ambiguous sentences. I say something or hear something and then my mind starts its work. I know it is strange, but this is in no way intentional.

When I read Hamlet, I immediately identified with him.

It's madness, but there's method in it.

That's me!

PS. Actually, Polonius says that about Hamlet's behavior when he's pretending to be nuts, but I think he encapsulates Hamlet's real character (the way a shell encapsulates a nut!)....