Ambiguity
Sentences that can be read two ways, and the punctuation that settles which one you mean.
The answer
A sentence is ambiguous when it can be read in more than one way, so the reader cannot be sure what the writer means.
Examples
Let’s eat Grandma!
Ambiguous and alarming. With a comma, Let’s eat, Grandma! is an invitation.
Sam told Leo that he had won.
Who won? He could mean Sam or Leo.
There was a man eating shark in the tank.
A man eating some shark, or a shark that eats people? A hyphen fixes it: man-eating shark.
I saw the girl with the binoculars.
Did I use the binoculars, or did the girl have them?
How to spot it
- Read the sentence as if you did not know what the writer meant. Can it mean two different things?
- Check every pronoun: could it point to more than one person or thing?
- Look for places where a comma or hyphen would change the meaning.
The common mistake
Leaving out the comma or hyphen that would make the meaning clear.
The writer knows what they mean, so the ambiguity is invisible to them. Reading work aloud to someone else is the quickest way to catch it.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 5
- On the pupil word list
- Year 5, as “ambiguity”
Year 5 names ambiguity and uses commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity. Year 6 learns how hyphens avoid ambiguity, as in man eating shark and man-eating shark.
Try a question
Where should a comma go to show that the speaker is talking to Tom?
Can we help Tom?
Show the answer
Answer: Can we help, Tom?
The comma shows that Tom is being spoken to. Without it, the sentence asks whether we can help Tom.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Punctuate direct address
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
What does ambiguous mean?
Having more than one possible meaning. An ambiguous sentence makes the reader stop and guess.
How do commas avoid ambiguity?
They group words so they can only be read one way. ‘Let’s eat, Grandma!’ shows Grandma is being spoken to, not eaten.
Is ambiguity always a mistake?
In clear writing, yes. Jokes and riddles use it on purpose, which is part of why children find it memorable.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.