Introduction

Ambiguity simply means lack of clarity in construction - written or spoken.  This occurs when there are two or more meanings in a passage. Ambiguity is of two basic types: Syntactic Ambiguity and Lexical Ambiguity.

Syntactic Ambiguity

This is the presence of two or more meanings occasioned by the positioning of a word within a construction. Syntactic Ambiguity is also known as Structural Ambiguity or Grammatical Ambiguity. Example:

* After Napaga's graduation from Dahamani Zabaga Memorial University, her mother and HER friends organized a party.

Analysis

The possessive pronoun "HER" preceding the noun "friends" creates ambiguity. Clearly,  the ambiguity is caused by the position of the pronoun. To understand the ambiguity in question very well, let us consider the following questions:

* Does  the phrase "HER friends" refer to the friends of Napqga's mother?

* Does it refer to the friends of Napaga herself?

Obviously, "HER friends" in the context could be those of Napaga or those of her mother. For that matter, ambiguity exists in the sentence structure.

Correction

The ambiguous sentence can be corrected in a number of ways. Below are some of them:

* After Napaga's graduation from Dahamani Zabaga Memorial University, HER friends and HER mother organized a party.  (Here, each of the pronouns clearly refers to a specific noun. Also,  it is clear that the "FRIENDS"  are for Napaga).

* After Napaga's graduation from Dahamani Zabaga Memorial University,  her mother and HER mother's friends organized a party. (Here, repetition of the noun "mother" avoids ambiguity.

Conclusion

Dear reader, ambiguity sounds simple, but it constitutes a major source of miscommunication. Knowledge of it is NOT enough. An amalgamation of knowledge and care is, therefore, a critical recommendation to avoid the linguistic misdemeanor.