The sentence "Martha hit the man with the umbrella" could be understood to mean that Martha used the umbrella to hit the man or that Martha hit the man who was holding an umbrella. Therefore, the sentence has
A) one surface structure but no deep structure.
B) one surface structure and multiple deep structures.
C) one deep structure but no surface structure.
D) multiple surface structures and deep structures.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sentence has two possible interpretations, which means it has multiple deep structures (the different ways the sentence can be understood) and one surface structure (the actual words that make up the sentence itself).

The Sentence "Martha Hit the Man with the Umbrella" Could