Which of the following two sentences is expected to be easier to process?

(1) What did the friendly lady arrange for in the garage the other day?

(2) What did the friendly lady arrange in the big garage the other day?

Question

Which of the following two sentences is expected to be easier to process?

(1) What did the friendly lady arrange for in the garage the other day?

(2) What did the friendly lady arrange in the big garage the other day?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating which sentence is easier to process, I start by looking at grammar, clarity, and potential ambiguity in each option.
Option (1): 'What did the friendly lady arrange for in the garage the other day?' The presence of the word 'for' before 'in' creates a surprising syntactic leap: 'arrange for [something] in [location].' This structure can force the reader to reinterpret the sentence to resolve who or what is being arranged for, which can slow comprehension. Additionally, 'the garage' is not itself context-rich, so the phrase can feel a bit underspecified, increasing cognitive load as the listener tries to fill in missing details. Overall, this route invites a potential misattachment or misinterpretation and adds processing difficulty.
Option (2): 'What did the friendly lady arrange in the big garage the other day?' Here, the verb 'arrange' directly governs the prepositional phrase 'in the big garage,' indicating where the arranging action took place. The modifier 'the big' adds a single, explicit descriptor that helps pinpoint the location without creating competing attachments. This structure is syntactically straightforward and semantically clear, which tends to reduce ambiguity and processing demands. The extra word 'big' contributes modestly to meaning without complicating the parse.
Beyond syntax, consider information density: Option (1) risks a temporary ambiguity about what is being arranged for and in what sense, whereas Option (2) provides a precise locator ('the big garage') and a direct action, making the sentence easier to build a mental model for.
In sum, sentence (1) introduces potential attachment and meaning ambiguities due to the 'for in' construction and unspecified object, which can hinder quick processing, while sentence (2) offers a cleaner, more conventional structure with a clear spatial modifier, facilitating faster comprehension.

Which of the following two sentences is expected to be easier to process? (1) What did the friendly lady arrange for in the garage the other day? (2) What did the friendly lady arrange in the big garage the other day?单项选择题

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Which of the following two sentences is expected to be easier to process? (1) What did the friendly lady arrange for in the garage the other day? (2) What did the friendly lady arrange in the big garage the other day?单项选择题

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From the perspective of the listener, as a person speaks, each sentence often is characterized by ________ until the sentence is completed.

According to the immediacy principle, semantic information is considered after we first process syntax

Which of the following two sentences is expected to be more difficult to process? (1) Which nice event did Andy select at the hotel last night? (2) Which event did Andy select for at the hotel last night?

For the following pair, select which sentence is EASIER to process, according to memory-based explanations.

For the following pair, select which sentence is EASIER to process, according to memory-based explanations.

For the following pair, select which sentence is EASIER to process, according to memory-based explanations.

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Is there an integer [math: y] such that [math: 504y≡10(mod385)] and [math: 0≤y<385]? If there is, enter such an integer [math: y]. If there isn't, enter NA.

更多留学生实用工具

希望你的学习变得更简单

What did Frazier and Clifton (1989) conclude when they tested sentences like (1) and (2): (1) What did the shy child whisper to his mother during the party yesterday? (2) What did the shy child whisper to his mother about during the party yesterday?