almost parII

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azz
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almost parII

Post by azz »

a. Twice, I almost married a French woman.
b. I almost married a French woman twice.


Do those imply that it was the same woman?

Could those be used if I married a French woman once and almost had a second marriage with the same woman?

Could those be used if I married a French woman once and almost had a second marriage with another French woman?

I think the first one implies that I didn't marry a French woman and the second one is ambiguous as to whether I married a French woman or not. In both cases it is unclear whether it was the same woman.

Many thanks.
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Joe
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Re: almost parII

Post by Joe »

azz wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:41 am a. Twice, I almost married a French woman.
b. I almost married a French woman twice.


Do those imply that it was the same woman?

Could those be used if I married a French woman once and almost had a second marriage with the same woman?

Could those be used if I married a French woman once and almost had a second marriage with another French woman?

I think the first one implies that I didn't marry a French woman and the second one is ambiguous as to whether I married a French woman or not. In both cases it is unclear whether it was the same woman.

Many thanks.
I think most people would understand a) to imply that it was not the same woman. Otherwise it would probably be: Twice, I almost married the same French woman.

b) is ambiguous and and should be rewritten for clarity, unless the intention is to crack a joke. Many jokes rely on ambiguity for their humour.
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