Can You Make Sense Of Any Of This?

[JoeP]

Which of these sentences make sense?

1. Grace is alone the ocean now.
2. The prime number few.
3. Ace hungers the growing plant.
4. Fat people eat accumulates.
5. The cotton clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.
6. Fats define what and where the optimum.
7. Until the police arrest the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats food gets thrown.
10. Mary gave the child the dog bit a bandaid.
11. The girl told the story cried.
12. Polly hedonist surveys attention.
13. I convinced her children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day.
15. The horse raced past the barn fell.
16. I know the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog that I had really loved bones.
19. That Jill is never here hurts.
20. The man who whistles tunes pianos.
21. The old man the boat.
22. Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary.
23. The raft floated down the river sank.
24. We painted the wall with cracks.
25. The tycoon sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money wanted to kill JR.

 

[itchyfeet]

They all make sense with the proper punctuation.

 

[JoeP]

They all make sense with the proper punctuation.

Maybe not. Are you sure or are you fast?

 

[AwayWeGo]

Notary Sojac.

Scram gravy ain't wavy.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[itchyfeet]

No, I'm not sure, I guessed! Some of them make sense with tonal emphasis.
OK, what's the answer?

 

[JoeP]

No, I'm not sure, I guessed! Some of them make sense with tonal emphasis.
OK, what's the answer?

List the ones you can't make sense of. Maybe someone else can make sense of them.

 

[mayson12]

14, 16-20 and 24 make sense but are poorly written. The rest seem to be missing pronouns, or conjunctions or some other essential part of a sentence. JMO.

 

[BevL]

You're leading us down a garden path here - that's a clue.

 

[pjrose]

They're all missing something - a word or two, or a comma, for example.

 

[JoeP]

They're all missing something - a word or two, or a comma, for example.

The use of commas is often elective. Ignoring punctuation, which doesn't enter spoken language, name a few of the sentences that require wording changes in order to be spoken meaningfully.

 

[JoeP]

You're leading us down a garden path here - that's a clue.

Could be, but are there any sentences that you can't speak meaningfully?

 

[JoeP]

14, 16-20 and 24 make sense but are poorly written. The rest seem to be missing pronouns, or conjunctions or some other essential part of a sentence. JMO.

So seven sentences can be spoken with meaning? Can others be added to your list of approved sentences? Does anyone object to these seven?

 

[jackio]

So seven sentences can be spoken with meaning? Can others be added to your list of approved sentences? Does anyone object to these seven?

5. The cotton that clothing is usually made from, grows in Mississippi.

7. Until the police arrest, the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts, ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats, food gets thrown.
11. The girl told the story and cried.

13. I convinced her that children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day.
15. The horse raced past the barn and fell.
16. I know that the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me a little white lie that will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog I had really loved bones.
19. The fact that Jill is never here, hurts.

22. Half the students who failed the exam will take the supplementary.
23. The raft floated down the river and sank.
24. We painted the wall that has cracks.
25. The tycoon who sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money wanted to kill JR.
__________________
The grammar still isn't the best, but I think they make sense. Then again, I think differently than alot of people

 

[JoeP]

5. The cotton that clothing is usually made from, grows in Mississippi.

7. Until the police arrest, the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts, ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats, food gets thrown.
11. The girl told the story and cried.

13. I convinced her that children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day.
15. The horse raced past the barn and fell.
16. I know that the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me a little white lie that will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog I had really loved bones.
19. The fact that Jill is never here, hurts.

22. Half the students who failed the exam will take the supplementary.
23. The raft floated down the river and sank.
24. We painted the wall that has cracks.
25. The tycoon who sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money wanted to kill JR.
__________________
The grammar still isn't the best, but I think they make sense. Then again, I think differently than alot of people

mayson12 says that sentence 20 makes sense, do you disagree? Anybody object to sentences on this list?

 

[pjrose]

1. Grace is alone in the ocean now.
2. The prime numbers are few.
3. Ace hungers the growing plant. ?????
4. The food that Fat people eat accumulates in their bodies.
5. The cotton that clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.
6. Fats define what and where the optimum. ?????
7. Until the police arrest them, the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts, ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats, food gets thrown.
10. Mary gave the child whom the dog bit a bandaid. Mary gave a bandaid to the child who was bitten by the dog.
11. The girl who told the story cried.
12. Polly hedonist surveys attention. ????
13. I convinced her that the children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day. ok
15. The horse raced past the barn and fell.
16. I know that the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me that a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog that I had before (or last year, until it died, until it ran away) really loved bones.
19. The fact That Jill is never here hurts my feelings.
20. ok as is, but better this way: The man who whistles is the one who tunes pianos.
21. The old man was in (or sold, or sank, or bought...)the boat.
22. Please Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary study course, and then take another exam.
23. The raft that floated down the river sank.
24. We painted the wall that had been covered with cracks.
25. The tycoon sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money, and the people who lost their jobs wanted to kill the new owner, JR, for deciding to fire them all.

 

[JoeP]

1. Grace is alone in the ocean now.
2. The prime numbers are few.
3. Ace hungers the growing plant. ?????
4. The food that Fat people eat accumulates in their bodies.
5. The cotton that clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.
6. Fats define what and where the optimum. ?????
7. Until the police arrest them, the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts, ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats, food gets thrown.
10. Mary gave the child whom the dog bit a bandaid. Mary gave a bandaid to the child who was bitten by the dog.
11. The girl who told the story cried.
12. Polly hedonist surveys attention. ????
13. I convinced her that the children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day. ok
15. The horse raced past the barn and fell.
16. I know that the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me that a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog that I had before (or last year, until it died, until it ran away) really loved bones.
19. The fact That Jill is never here hurts my feelings.
20. ok as is, but better this way: The man who whistles is the one who tunes pianos.
21. The old man was in (or sold, or sank, or bought...)the boat.
22. Please Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary study course, and then take another exam.
23. The raft that floated down the river sank.
24. We painted the wall that had been covered with cracks.
25. The tycoon sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money, and the people who lost their jobs wanted to kill the new owner, JR, for deciding to fire them all.

Grace is alone the ocean now.
Grace is alone in the ocean now. DIFFERENT (BUT AT LEAST A MEANING)
The prime number few.
The prime numbers are few. DIFFERENT MEANING
Ace hungers the growing plant. ?????
Fat people eat accumulates.
The food that Fat people eat accumulates in their bodies. DIFFERENT MEANING
The cotton clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.
The cotton that clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.
Fats define what and where the optimum. ?????
Until the police arrest the drug dealers control the street.
Until the police arrest them, the drug dealers control the street.
The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.
The man who hunts, ducks out on weekends.
When Fred eats food gets thrown.
When Fred eats, food gets thrown.
Mary gave the child the dog bit a bandaid.
Mary gave the child whom the dog bit a bandaid. Mary gave a bandaid to the child who was bitten by the dog.
The girl told the story cried.
The girl who told the story cried. DIFFERENT MEANING
Polly hedonist surveys attention. ????
I convinced her children are noisy.
I convinced her that the children are noisy. DIFFERENT MEANING
Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day.
Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day. Ok
The horse raced past the barn fell.
The horse raced past the barn and fell. DIFFERENT MEANING
I know the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
I know that the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
She told me a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
She told me that a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
The dog that I had really loved bones.
The dog that I had before (or last year, until it died, until it ran away) really loved bones.
That Jill is never here hurts.
The fact That Jill is never here hurts my feelings.
The man who whistles tunes pianos.
ok as is, but better this way: The man who whistles is [the] one who tunes pianos.
The old man the boat.
The old man was in (or sold, or sank, or bought...)the boat. DIFFERENT MEANING
Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary.
Please Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary study course, (and then take another exam.?)
The raft floated down the river sank.
The raft that floated down the river sank. DIFFERENT MEANING
We painted the wall with cracks.
We painted the wall that had been covered with cracks.
The tycoon sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money wanted to kill JR.
The tycoon sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money, and the people who lost their jobs wanted to kill the new owner, JR, for deciding to fire them all. DIFFERENT MEANING

 

[pjrose]

Different meaning? How do you know the meaning is different, when it's not clear what the meaning was in the first place?

 

[sstamm]

I see it a little differently. Below are the sentences that make sense to me, without adding words, but perhaps adding punctuation.


2. The prime number few. (prime is noun, number is verb)
3. Ace hungers the growing plant. (Ace is noun, maybe a name?)
4. Fat people eat accumulates. (accumulates? is what fat people eat)
5. The cotton clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.

7. Until the police arrest the drug dealers control the street.
Until the police arrest, the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.
The man, who hunts, ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats food gets thrown.
When Fred eats, food gets thrown.
10. Mary gave the child the dog bit a bandaid.
11. The girl told the story cried.
The girl, told the story, cried.

13. I convinced her children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day.

16. I know the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog that I had really loved bones.
19. That Jill is never here hurts.
20. The man who whistles tunes pianos.
21. The old man the boat. (old is the noun, man is the verb)
22. Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary.

24. We painted the wall with cracks.

Some of them make no sense to me.
But I'm not sure the intention of the exercise??

__________________

 

[mayson12]

Okay I add 8, 9 and 10 to my list of sentences that make sense but are poorly written. I can't add 5, though I see why some people would, because the word "that" is clearly needed after "cotton" to make the sentence work.

I'm interested to see what the OP has in mind with this thread. Where did these sentences come from? College papers? Can't wait to find out.

 

[JoeP]

I see it a little differently. Below are the sentences that make sense to me, without adding words, but perhaps adding punctuation.


2. The prime number few. (prime is noun, number is verb)
3. Ace hungers the growing plant. (Ace is noun, maybe a name?)
4. Fat people eat accumulates. (accumulates? is what fat people eat)
5. The cotton clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.

7. Until the police arrest the drug dealers control the street.
Until the police arrest, the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.
The man, who hunts, ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats food gets thrown.
When Fred eats, food gets thrown.
10. Mary gave the child the dog bit a bandaid.
11. The girl told the story cried.
The girl, told the story, cried.

13. I convinced her children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day.

16. I know the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog that I had really loved bones.
19. That Jill is never here hurts.
20. The man who whistles tunes pianos.
21. The old man the boat. (old is the noun, man is the verb)
22. Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary.

24. We painted the wall with cracks.

Some of them make no sense to me.
But I'm not sure the intention of the exercise??

__________________

There's several great wordsmiths here! Can anything be done with #3, #15 or #23? Hint: Two of them have clear meanings not yet given; one does not. mayson12, are you really sure that #5 is lacking? Also, #2 seems to need some explaining.

 

[JoeP]

Different meaning? How do you know the meaning is different, when it's not clear what the meaning was in the first place?

It's different from the meaning of the unaltered spoken sentence. Explication via punctuation is permitted. (You're not so confused as modest. You've clarified many of the sentences without altering them!)

 

[pjrose]

No cheating, and no spoiling for others, but if you're frustrated or curious, remember your online friend.....

 

[3kids4me]

1. Grace is alone the ocean now.
2. The prime number few.
3. Ace hungers the growing plant.
4. Fat people eat accumulates.
5. The cotton clothing is usually made of grows in Mississippi.
6. Fats define what and where the optimum.
7. Until the police arrest the drug dealers control the street.
8. The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.
9. When Fred eats food gets thrown.
10. Mary gave the child the dog bit a bandaid.
11. The girl told the story cried.
12. Polly hedonist surveys attention.
13. I convinced her children are noisy.
14. Helen is expecting tomorrow to be a bad day.
15. The horse raced past the barn fell.
16. I know the words to that song about the queen don't rhyme.
17. She told me a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
18. The dog that I had really loved bones.
19. That Jill is never here hurts.
20. The man who whistles tunes pianos.
21. The old man the boat.
22. Have the students who failed the exam take the supplementary.
23. The raft floated down the river sank.
24. We painted the wall with cracks.
25. The tycoon sold the offshore oil tracts for a lot of money wanted to kill JR.

The ones in red are the only sentences I see that, even with punctuation, cannot be made interpretable. (Although even the ones that can be made interpretable are not necessarily grammatically correct, in my opinion.)

There's several great wordsmiths here! Can anything be done with #3, #15 or #23? Hint: Two of them have clear meanings not yet given; one does not. mayson12, are you really sure that #5 is lacking? Also, #2 seems to need some explaining.

Fifteen could be written: "The horse raced past the barn, fell." You could understand it that way but I'm not sure it's truly grammatically correct.

The same goes for 23: "The raft floated down the river, sank." It's awkward, but at least it makes sense.

Number two uses "prime" as a noun...as in the prime people, or ever numbers! (e.g. There are few prime numbers in the world, and few prime people in the world.)

Number five just needs a comma after "of"...although again, that just makes it easier to understand.

 

[3kids4me]

Okay I add 8, 9 and 10 to my list of sentences that make sense but are poorly written. I can't add 5, though I see why some people would, because the word "that" is clearly needed after "cotton" to make the sentence work.

I'm interested to see what the OP has in mind with this thread. Where did these sentences come from? College papers? Can't wait to find out.

Mayson, you don't need the word "that" in sentence five. Here's another example:

For reference: "The cotton clothing is usually made of, grows in Mississippi"

Same structure:

"The timeshare Mayson usually goes to, is based in Florida".

In the above example, Mayson in the noun, and in the first example, "clothing" is the noun. However, the "of" and the "to" are both still awkward. (I purposely put the same awkward article in the second sentence for comparison's sake.)

 

[AwayWeGo]

Jabberwocky.

Click here for Jabberwocky.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​