Mary had a little lamb!
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Transcript of Mary had a little lamb!
Mary had a little lamb!But what does it mean anyway?
English! Same phrase could mean different
things to different people! My daughter thinks
– “Small girl named Mary had a pet lamb”
Do you think so too?
Dictionary Says Mary
– Proper noun! A
– Singular LITTLE
– Small LAMB
– Baby of sheep– Gullible person
Dictionary Says Had
– Past Tense of HAVE Have
– Possess; own; hold for use; contain– To experience– To be related to– To partake of; eat or drink– To beget or give birth to– …
Revisit the phrase… Mary had a little lamb
– And I had a small puppy! Mary had a little lamb
– And I had Sambar Rice! Mary had a little lamb
– And Tracy had a baby girl! I’d rather stop here!
WRITTEN vs. ORAL Stress can be heard
– If we speak properly– Can be read too!
Can change the focus or meaning of sentence
Try this… MARY had a little lamb
– And not John
And this Mary HAD a little lamb
– But doesn’t have any more
And this… Mary had A little lamb
– And not a dozen of them
And this… Mary had a LITTLE lamb
– It is not a big one
And this… Mary had a little LAMB
– And not a dog
Writing unambiguous requirements in English…
Is difficult, if not impossible!
Thank [email protected]