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Application of Adjectives in OR Statements

Are there any grammatical rules governing the application of an adjective to both parts of an OR statement?

For example, "This will result in negative outcomes or consequences for others." Must "negative" apply to both "outcomes" and "consequences"? I think it commonly would be, but I want to know if it is grammatically correct to assume "negative outcomes" and "(neutral) consequences."

Re: Application of Adjectives in OR Statements

Excellent question. I am unaware of any grammatical rulings on this subject. However, it is something I have researched in the past. The best answer I can offer is that some readers will read 'negative' as qualifying 'outcomes' and 'consequences', while others will have it just qualifying 'outcomes'.

Usually context dictates whether there is a requirement to repeat the adjective or reword to avoid the issue.

I would make one other point. For me, the word 'consequence' carries a negative connotation. It has the idea of 'negative result'. Therefore, 'negative outcomes or consequences' looks like tautology (i.e. saying the same thing twice).

I think this sentence may need recrafting. Without context, it is difficult to offer advice. However, something as simple as this could suffice:

...for the others, the results may be negative.

The short answer to your question is reword it to avoid ambiguity. Even if there were some grammar ruling tucked away in the back of some 19th Century reference, 99% of your readers will be reading from instinct.

English, even when it's grammatically sound, can leave you unsure about the meaning. Take a line from "Uptown Girl": I can't afford to buy her pearls.

That's grammatically sound, but...

Re: Re: Application of Adjectives in OR Statements

Thanks for the reply. I came to about the same conclusion. I would assume most readers would apply negative to both parts, but some may not. It was actually part of a true/false question on an exam. The way I look at it the question could be either true or false depending on whether the reader applies negative to both. I think the best result would be a simple rewording or the statement to make it absolute.