The presence of two or more possible meanings within a single sentence or
sequence of words is Structural or Syntactical ambiguity (Nordquist, n.d.).
In simple and lucid words, Structural ambiguity refers to sentences that could have more
than one meanings and could be inferred in different ways by different people. They are
responsible for causing ambiguity and confusion and this justifies their name.
In most of the cases lexical ambiguity (words with more than one meaning) leads to
structural ambiguity (Anonymous, 2012).
For Example: Doctor Helps Dog Bite Victim
The sentence can have two possible explanations or Interpretations.
Interpretation 1: The Doctor is providing aid to a person who has been bitten by a dog.
Interpretation 2: The Doctor is helping the dog bite a victim.
Now that is confusing! Isn’t it?
In the first case, dog bite is a compound noun that describes victim; while in the second
(Anonymous, 2012).
The reason for structural ambiguity, as shown in the example, is that the sequence of words
can be structured in alternative ways that are consistent with the syntax of the language
(Nordquist, n.d.). Ambiguity (in general) and Structural ambiguity (in specific) has
troubled students a lot. It increases confusion and makes understanding of the right
context difficult. For someone willing to master a language, understanding and avoidance
of ambiguity is almost mandatory. One should be able to understand the difference
between interpretations of ambiguous sentences and should also have the ability to infer as
Works Cited
Anonymous, "Introduction to Linguistics", 2012,
Retrieved on 13 November 2012,
Nordquist, Richard, "Syntactic Ambiguity",
Retrieved on 13 November 2012,
< http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/syntacticambiguityterm.htm>.
