Editing 2793: Garden Path Sentence
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
| titletext = Arboretum Owner Denied Standing in Garden Path Suit on Grounds Grounds Appealing Appealing | | titletext = Arboretum Owner Denied Standing in Garden Path Suit on Grounds Grounds Appealing Appealing | ||
}} | }} | ||
+ | |||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | A {{w|garden-path sentence}} is one in which the first or most obvious attempt at parsing | + | {{incomplete|Created by THE OLD MAN WHO MANS THE BOAT.}} |
+ | |||
+ | A {{w|garden-path sentence}} is one in which the first or most obvious attempt at parsing a sentence leads to bad grammar or the wrong meaning. A classic example of a garden path sentence is "the old man the boat", leading to an initial incorrect parsing of "the old man" ??? "the boat". The actual way to parse this sentence is to treat "man" as a verb, meaning "take one's place at", so thus the sentence means (old people are captaining the boat). | ||
Possible grammatically correct interpretations of the sentences in this comic are: | Possible grammatically correct interpretations of the sentences in this comic are: | ||
Line 17: | Line 20: | ||
After (bird strikes)<sup>1</sup>, (judge)<sup>2</sup>, (who ordered)<sup>3</sup> (olive garden-path sentence)<sup>4</sup> in (case of green walkways)<sup>5</sup> (vacated)<sup>3</sup>, (overturned but rights and lands safely.)<sup>2</sup> | After (bird strikes)<sup>1</sup>, (judge)<sup>2</sup>, (who ordered)<sup>3</sup> (olive garden-path sentence)<sup>4</sup> in (case of green walkways)<sup>5</sup> (vacated)<sup>3</sup>, (overturned but rights and lands safely.)<sup>2</sup> | ||
− | # "[[wikipedia:bird strike|bird strike]]s": Airplane colliding with birds in flight | + | # "[[wikipedia:bird strike|bird strike]]s": Airplane colliding with birds in flight |
# "judge ... overturned but rights and lands safely": The judge (and presumably the plane they were in) flipped over but was able to get right-side up again and land safely | # "judge ... overturned but rights and lands safely": The judge (and presumably the plane they were in) flipped over but was able to get right-side up again and land safely | ||
− | # "who [[wikipedia:Court order|ordered]] | + | # "who [[wikipedia:Court order|ordered]] ... [[:wikipedia:Vacated judgment|vacated]]": The same judge had previously issued a ruling cancelling something |
− | # " | + | # "Olive Garden path [[wikipedia:Sentence (law)|sentence]]": The thing that was cancelled was a punishment related to garden paths at [[[wikipedia:Olive Garden]]. |
− | # "[[wikipedia:Legal case|case]] of [[wikipedia: | + | # "[[wikipedia:Legal case|case]] of [[wikipedia:Green|green]] walkways": The punishment was in a court case about green-colored walkways (likely the same garden paths listed above, which may have supposed to have been an olive shade of that color) |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | + | Another way to break it down is, "After [the] bird strikes, [the] judge... [is] overturned, but [she] rights and lands safely." And she was "[the] judge who ordered [that the] olive garden-path sentence (the legal sentence concerning an olive-colored path) in (what is known as) [the] Case of [the] Green Walkways [to be] vacated." | |
− | This comic also pokes fun at newspaper headlines, which typically have | + | This comic also pokes fun at newspaper headlines, which typically do not have punctuation or articles, leading to such ambiguities. |
For another valid parsing of the sentence, here are some explanatory notes that aid in understanding: | For another valid parsing of the sentence, here are some explanatory notes that aid in understanding: | ||
* A criminal court case occurred involving green-colored walkways. | * A criminal court case occurred involving green-colored walkways. | ||
* The sentence handed down in the case involved a specific walkway (a garden path) and a specific shade of green (olive). | * The sentence handed down in the case involved a specific walkway (a garden path) and a specific shade of green (olive). | ||
− | * A certain judge had ordered that the sentence be vacated (a legal term | + | * A certain judge had ordered that the sentence be vacated (a legal term of art: undone, expunged). |
* That judge was recently piloting a plane which, due to being struck by birds, overturned. | * That judge was recently piloting a plane which, due to being struck by birds, overturned. | ||
* The judge righted the plane (turned it right-side-up) and landed safely. | * The judge righted the plane (turned it right-side-up) and landed safely. | ||
− | + | Certain combinations of words in the sentence are particularly easy to parse incorrectly. For example: | |
− | + | * "bird strikes judge" can be interpreted to mean the a bird deliberately hit the judge with an appendage or weapon | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | Certain combinations of words in the sentence are particularly easy to parse incorrectly. For example: | ||
− | |||
− | * "bird strikes judge" can be interpreted to mean | ||
* "Olive Garden" is the name of a restaurant chain, and "ordered Olive Garden" could mean "placed an order for food from Olive Garden" | * "Olive Garden" is the name of a restaurant chain, and "ordered Olive Garden" could mean "placed an order for food from Olive Garden" | ||
− | |||
* "Garden path sentence" is a type of (written language) sentence | * "Garden path sentence" is a type of (written language) sentence | ||
− | |||
* "in case of" can mean "in the event of" (e.g. "in case of emergency, break glass") | * "in case of" can mean "in the event of" (e.g. "in case of emergency, break glass") | ||
* "vacated" and "overturned" can both mean "undone" in a legal context, and "rights" can refer to legal or constitutional rights | * "vacated" and "overturned" can both mean "undone" in a legal context, and "rights" can refer to legal or constitutional rights | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | The title text is also an example of a garden path sentence. The meaning is probably the following: Arboretum owner, [who was] denied [legal] standing in [the] garden-path [law]suit on grounds (the reason) [that the garden] grounds [are] appealing, [is] appealing [the ruling] | + | The title text is also an example of a garden path sentence. The meaning is probably the following: Arboretum owner, [who was] denied [legal] standing in [the] garden-path [law]suit on grounds (the reason) [that the garden] grounds [are] appealing, [is] appealing [the ruling] |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[ | + | {{incomplete transcript}} |
− | : | + | :[Newspaper, with a picture of a plane next a judge, and a picture of a map with the path of an airplane, with the following headline] |
+ | :After bird strikes judge who ordered olive garden path sentence in case of green walkways vacated overturned but rights and lands safely | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |