on four occasions
on four occasions
a. He saved a woman on four occasions.
b. On four occasions, he saved a woman.
c. He saved a woman four times.
d. He has saved a woman four times.
In which case
1. The same woman was saved four times
in which case
2. Four different women were saved on four different occasions
and in which case
3. We can't be sure
Many thanks.
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b. On four occasions, he saved a woman.
c. He saved a woman four times.
d. He has saved a woman four times.
In which case
1. The same woman was saved four times
in which case
2. Four different women were saved on four different occasions
and in which case
3. We can't be sure
Many thanks.
Re: on four occasions
Thank you so much,
How about
e) He saved someone on four occasions.
?
Is that ambiguous as well?
And how about
f) He saved two people on two occasions.
?
Can one tell if he saved one person per occasion or two people per occasion?
Many thanks.
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How about
e) He saved someone on four occasions.
?
Is that ambiguous as well?
And how about
f) He saved two people on two occasions.
?
Can one tell if he saved one person per occasion or two people per occasion?
Many thanks.
Re: on four occasions
Because of "a woman" each example sounds, to me, as if he saved the same woman multiple times. I would completely reword it to be clear.
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Re: on four occasions
a. He saved the same woman on four occasions.BonnieL wrote:Because of "a woman" each example sounds, to me, as if he saved the same woman multiple times. I would completely reword it to be clear.
b. He saved four different women each on separate occasions.
Signature: tony
I'm puzzled therefore I think.
I'm puzzled therefore I think.
Re: on four occasions
I would slightly reword that:tony h wrote:b. He saved four different women each on separate occasions.
b. He saved each of four different women on separate occasions.
Re: on four occasions
It does seem remarkably difficult to find a natural and succinct way of saying this unambiguously.Erik_Kowal wrote:I would slightly reword that:tony h wrote:b. He saved four different women each on separate occasions.
b. He saved each of four different women on separate occasions.
Maybe:
On four occasions he saved a woman, a different woman each time.
Signature: tony
I'm puzzled therefore I think.
I'm puzzled therefore I think.
Re: on four occasions
He has saved four women at various times/on various different occasions.
He is a lifesaver, the gender of the people he saved being female, the number of the people he saved being four and the number of occasions on which he did so also being four, with none of the people saved being saved more than once by this person.
I think either suggestion resolves any ambiguity.
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He is a lifesaver, the gender of the people he saved being female, the number of the people he saved being four and the number of occasions on which he did so also being four, with none of the people saved being saved more than once by this person.
I think either suggestion resolves any ambiguity.
Signature: Phil White
Non sum felix lepus
Non sum felix lepus
Re: on four occasions
Your second is precise. I think your first allows more than one of the women to be included in a single save.Phil White wrote:He has saved four women at various times/on various different occasions.
He is a lifesaver, the gender of the people he saved being female, the number of the people he saved being four and the number of occasions on which he did so also being four, with none of the people saved being saved more than once by this person.
I think either suggestion resolves any ambiguity.
Signature: tony
I'm puzzled therefore I think.
I'm puzzled therefore I think.
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