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Amphiboly
Definition:
An amphiboly occurs when the construction of a sentence
allows it to have two different meanings.
Examples:
- Last night I shot a burglar in my pyjamas.
- The Oracle of Delphi told Croseus that if he pursued the
war he would destroy a mighty kingdom. (What the Oracle
did not mention was that the kingdom he destroyed would
be his own. Adapted from Heroditus, The Histories.)
- Save soap and waste paper. (From Copi, p. 115)
Proof:
Identify the ambiguous phrase and show the two possible
interpretations.
References:
26 May 1995 / 06 January 1996
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