Sunday, October 31, 2010

I Never Said She Stole My Money: 7 Different Meanings

"I never said she stole my money" has 7 different meanings depending on the stressed word.

I didn't say she stole my money - someone else said it.

I didn't say she stole my money - I didn't say it.

I didn't say she stole my money - I only implied it.

I didn't say she stole my money - I said someone did, not necessarily her.

I didn't say she stole my money - I considered it borrowed, even though she didn't ask.

I didn't say she stole my money - only that she stole money.

I didn't say she stole my money - she stole stuff which cost me money to replace.

26 comments:

Jay Freeman (saurik) said...

You can also stress multiple words.

I didn't say she stole my money. -- the interlocutor probably misunderstood all parties involved; this is likely followed up by a corrected sentence

Anonymous said...

reddit says hi XD

http://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/dz09v/i_never_said_she_stole_my_money_has_7_different/

Anonymous said...

This must be the most useless post on the entire internet. Have you ever considered that this is true for any sentence in any language?

Unknown said...

Have YOU ever considered that this is true for any sentence in any language?

Anonymous said...

Have you EVER considered that this is true for any sentence in any language?

Anonymous said...

Have you ever CONSIDERED that this is true for any sentence in any language?

Matthias Rascher said...

Have you ever considered that this is true for ANY sentence in ANY language?

Anonymous said...

Have you ever considered that this is TRUE for any sentence in any language?

Anonymous said...

I never said she stole MY waffles.

Anonymous said...

> I never said she stole MY waffles.

I see what you did there.

Anonymous said...

Not waffles . . . carrots

Anonymous said...

I never said she stole my BIKE.

Anonymous said...

> I never said she stole MY waffles.

Don't you mean carrots?

Anonymous said...

Waffles? I think you mean carrots.

Anonymous said...

Who stole your carrots?!

Anonymous said...

> I never said she stole MY waffles

Don't you mean carrots?

Anonymous said...

Waffles? Don't you mean carrots? HAHAHAHA

Anonymous said...

waffles? don't you mean carrots? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Anonymous said...

Reddit does not say "Hi". We take it back.

Anonymous said...

Waffles? Don't you mean carrots?

Anonymous said...

She stole my money, the Bitch!

Anonymous said...

WRONG. The sentence literally means the same thing in *all* instances.

What one INFERS is what changes.

Anonymous said...

This will also work on the sentence "Hi"

You can either do hi or hi

Oh wait, thats the same

Did You Know said...

Haha, and more funny facts like this can be found here: did you know

Anonymous said...

OH wait, thats the same
oh WAIT, thats the same
oh wait, THATS the same
Oh wait, thats THE same
Oh wait, thats the SAME

Anonymous said...

I never SAID she was a SHE.