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Related Terms. Ambiguity (am-big-YOU-ih-tee) refers to the quality of being open to multiple interpretations. In literature, ambiguity may occur with a character, word or phrase, plot point, image, trope, or situation that can be understood in two or more possible ways. It allows room for doubt and complexity, as well as moments of double ...
- Life of Pi
Life of Pi incorporates elements of magical realism,...
- Puns
Pun Definition. A pun (PUHn) is a type of word play that...
- Ode
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- Life of Pi
- What Is Ambiguity?
- Common Ambiguity Examples
- Types of Ambiguity
- Ambiguity vs. Vagueness
- How and Why to Use Ambiguity?
- How to Avoid Ambiguity and Why?
- Examples of Ambiguity in Literature
- Function of Ambiguity
- Synonyms of Ambiguity
Ambiguity Definition
Ambiguity is when a word, phrase, statement, or idea has more than one meaning or can be understood in more than one way. Ambiguity typically creates a feeling of vagueness, uncertainty, or even confusion. This can make a reader or audience feel doubt, suspense, and an active desire for clarity or resolution.
Use of Ambiguity in Literature
Since ambiguity allows for more than one interpretation, it is used by writers to create complex, uncertain, and even humorous experiences for readers. Writers may create ambiguity involving the following: 1. Words 2. Phrases 3. Characters 4. Plotpoints 5. Situations 6. Literary conventions or tropes As the reader attempts to understand the meanings presented by the writer’s ambiguity, they become more involved and engaged with the writing itself.
Below are some common examples of ambiguity: 1. A good life depends on a liver– Liver may be an organ or simply a living person. 2. Foreigners are hunting dogs– It is unclear whether dogs were being hunted, or foreigners are being spoken of as dogs. 3. Each of us saw her duck– It is not clear whether the word “duck” refers to an action of ducking, ...
There are four major types of ambiguities as given below. 1. Semantic Ambiguity: This ambiguity is about the semantics of a word or phrase when it is interpreted out of its context. 2. Syntactic Ambiguity: It occurs when a word or phrase has two or more possible meanings in the given sentence. It is also called structural ambiguity. 3. Lexical Ambi...
Ambiguity means having more than one interpretation. There is a multiplicity of meanings according to the perspectivea person holds about a word or a situation. However, vagueness means it is indeterminacy about meanings. The situation is not clear and the readers face unclarity about the words, phrases, or even sentences. Whereas ambiguity is mark...
When using ambiguity, a writer takes something out of context and fills it with likely meanings. It could be the use of puns, doublespeak, or tautology. This creates an ambiguity that the readers experience when reading that piece. A writer has various other strategies at hand such as rhetorical devices. Ambiguity is created to make the readers und...
It is not difficult to avoid ambiguity. The first thing about avoiding ambiguity is to be explicit, direct, and careful in using adverbs. If verbs, pronouns, and parallelismin sentences are checked thoroughly and minutely, ambiguity is removed. Following steps in writing clear ambiguity. 1. Correct grammar 2. Correct punctuation 3. Shorten your sen...
Although ambiguity is considered a flaw in writing, many writers use this technique to allow readers to understand their works in a variety of ways, giving them depth and complexity. Let us analyze some ambiguity examples in the literature.
Ambiguity in literature serves the purpose of lending a deeper meaning to a literary work. By introducing ambiguity in their works, writers give liberty to readers to use their imagination to explore meanings. This active participation of the readers involves them in the proseor poetry they read.
Ambiguity, as a literary device, has several synonyms or distant meanings. They are equivocation, ambivalence, vagueness, doubtfulness, uncertainty, puzzle, dubiety, doublespeak, abstruseness, and obscurity.
Ambiguity (pronounced ‘am-bih-GYOO-ih-tee’) is an idea or situation that can be understood in more than one way. This extends from ambiguous sentences (which could mean one thing or another) up to ambiguous storylines and ambiguous arguments. It’s often viewed in a negative light, since we value clarity in writing and ambiguity is the ...
Ambiguity is possible in literature, ideas, statements, arts, music, and math. At times, ambiguity is reliant on context; something can be ambiguous in one situation while unambiguous in another. For example, consider the short phrase, “I read the book.”. This sentence alone could refer to the present or the past, as the word “read” in ...
Usage of Ambiguity. Ambiguity in literature is used to give the literary work a profound meaning. With the use of ambiguity, writers give readers the freedom to use their imagination to discover the meanings between the lines in a script. This deep involvement of the readers gives them the liberty to actually be the part of the prose or poetry ...
Ambiguity Definition. Ambiguity, or fallacy of ambiguity, is a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning. Ambiguous words or statements lead to vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for instances of unintentional humor. For instance, it is ambiguous to say “I rode a black horse in red pajamas,” because it may ...
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Ambiguity in Literature. Ambiguity—like metaphor, allegory, symbolism, oxymoron, simile, and allusion—is a common literary technique used by writers. When employed intentionally, ambiguity can be a powerful writing and rewriting tool that compels readers to think hard about what the writer is trying to convey.
