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"Why are half the rations gone!?" - Inigo "They said they were hungry." - Vezzini Ambiguity: Is one person eating too much or did many people get impatient (m
by humanrebar 7y ago
"Why are half the rations gone!?" - Inigo
"They said they were hungry." - Vezzini
Ambiguity: Is one person eating too much or did many people get impatient (maybe fine depending)?
It's not just a matter of becoming accustomed. It's definitely more ambiguous.
The only way to clear that pickle up is to get used to clarifying questions as appropriate. Or maybe a "they all" will emerge parallel to "you all", but that sort of thing takes time.
My point is that people asking for singular pronouns should prepare to be patient since, at best, these things take time.
- damnyou 7y agoI understand what you're saying but it's seriously not a huge problem — usually there's context to figure out what a sentence means.
- humanrebar 7y agoWhat if an author or speaker feels that context is lacking and is not comfortable with the ambiguity? The answers to that question do not sound all that understanding or conciliatory in my experience, especially not as phrased in a code of conduct. It sounds pedantic, but SE sites are especially attractive to folks who close helpful questions for pedantic reasons. I just want people to chill out and exhibit a bit of grace instead of bringing up codes of conduct and unhelpful lectures about manners.