Also, She hates scratching dogs is ambiguous too?

closed as unclear what you're asking by Adam, SamBC, Nathan Tuggy, shin, RubioRic Mar 4 at 8:12


  • I don't understand what you're trying to ask. Can you make sure your title matches your question body - right now they seem to be asking two completely separate things - and elaborate on where you think the ambiguity lies? (As in, list the two separate interpretations you think are possible.) – Martha Mar 1 at 19:09
  • @Martha, I think they mean "English history professors are very smart," and "She hates scratching dogs." If you think about those sentences, they are both ambiguous. – hguler Mar 1 at 19:14

Yes, both statements can be interpreted in two ways.

English can be understood to modify either history or professors.

and scratching can be understood to refer either to her action or to that of dogs.

To clarify these statements, they can be rewritten as:

Professors of English history....
British professors of history....
Professors of history in England....
English-speaking professors of history

although the last two raise other concerns.


She hates dogs that scratch
She hates to scratch dogs
