Professor Ernest Brennecke of
Columbia University is credited with inventing a sentence that can be made to
have eight different meanings by placing ONE WORD in all possible positions in
the sentence: "I hit him in the eye yesterday"
1.
ONLY I hit him in the eye yesterday. (No one else did.)
2.
I ONLY hit him in the eye yesterday. (Did not slap him.)
3.
I hit ONLY him in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit others.)
4.
I hit him ONLY in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit outside the eye.)
5.
I hit him in ONLY the eye yesterday. (Not other organs.)
6.
I hit him in the ONLY eye yesterday. (He doesn't have another eye..)
7.
I hit him in the eye ONLY yesterday. (Not today.)
8.
I hit him in the eye yesterday ONLY. (Did not wait for today.)
This is why it is important to be
precise!
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