The use of certain verbs can imply the actual or probable status of events in a statement. In the sentence “I know the dog died”, the verb “know” is FACTIVE as it assigns the death of the dog as true. In “I believe the dog died”, the verb “believe” is NON-FACTIVE as the clausal object (the dog died) may not be a true fact.
Are the following statements factive or non-factive?
- I thought that today was your birthday. Non-Factive (thought)
- I forgot that today was your birthday. Factive
- The teacher scolded me for not studying hard enough. Factive
- The teacher acknowledged that I hadn’t really studied. Factive
- The teacher realized the student had cheated. Factive
- The teacher assumed that the student had cheated. Non-Factive (assumed)
Idioms and Ambiguity
Meaning can often be complicated through the use of metaphors, idioms, or simply through ambiguous relationships between words. What are the actual meanings of the first two idioms below?
What are the possible meanings of the next ambiguous sentences?
- Bite your tongue: To bite your tongue/Shut Up
- Pull my leg: Someone who literally pulls my leg/trick someone
- He is my English teacher: My teacher who teaches English/My teacher from England
- I saw the person with a telescope. I saw someone through my telescope/I saw someone who was using a telescope
- She doesn’t like short men or women. She doesnt like short men neither short women/She doesnt like short men or any type of women.
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