[Grammar] "I saw girls wearing stockings."

[sky3120]

"I saw girls wearing stockings."

Does this sentence have two possible meanings?

1) I saw girls who was wearing stockings.

2) I saw that girls were wearing stockings.

I am sorry about the lame example and I know that we should consider context first and we can figure out right meanings usually but I would like to know if it is possible that the sentence can be used for different meanings. Thank you as usual and have a good day.

 

[bhaisahab]

"I saw girls wearing stockings."

Does this sentence have two possible meanings?

1) I saw girls who was wearing stockings.

2) I saw that girls were wearing stockings.

I am sorry about the lame example and I know that we should consider context first and we can figure out right meanings usually but I would like to know if it is possible that the sentence can be used for different meanings. Thank you as usual and have a good day.

1) is ungrammatical.
The sentence has one meaning: "I saw girls who were wearing stockings".

 

[sky3120]

Thank you and is it possible to understand "I saw them(girls) wearing stockings"?

 

[Barb_D]

What sort of context do you have in mind?
Things can be made to mean all sorts of things.
I saw girls who were barefoot and girls wearing stockings.

A: What did people wear there?
B: I didn't really notice.
A: Did they get dressed up much?
B: Hmmm. I did see girls wearing stockings, so I guess maybe.

We don't plop down next ot someone and say a sentence and run away. Sentences take their meaning from context. It's the same with your question about people working on the streets.
A: Will these damn roads ever get better?
B: I think so - I saw people working on the streets just last night.

A: What is the city like?
B: Busy all the time!
A: Even at night?
B: Yes! I saw people dancing at night. I saw people eating at night. I even saw people working on the streets last night.

CONTEXT!

 

[tzfujimino]

"I saw girls wearing stockings."

Does this sentence have two possible meanings?

1) I saw girls who werewearing stockings.

2) I saw that girls were wearing stockings.

I am sorry about the lame example and I know that we should consider context first and we can figure out right meanings usually but I would like to know if it is possible that the sentence can be used for different meanings. Thank you as usual and have a good day.

Hello, sky3120.:-D
I think I understand what you mean.

Your interpretations could be as follows:

Interpretation 1.
I saw girls [wearing stockings].

Those words in the brackets (the participle clause) function as a postmodifier, which describes the noun 'girls'.
So, it could be rewritten as "I saw girls [with stockings on/who were (in the process of) wearing stockings/who had stockings on].

Interpretation 2.
I saw girls wearing stockings.

The so-called 'see (or other verbs of perception) + object + -ing form' construction is used here.
So, it could be rewritten as something like "I saw (some) girls, and they were in the process/middle of wearing stockings."

It is an interesting but difficult question, the answer to which I don't know.