Amphibology
[am-fə-BOL-ə-jee]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Old French, 14th century
1.
A phrase or sentence that is grammatically ambiguous, such as “She sees more of her children than her husband.”
Examples of Amphibology in a sentence
"Avoid accidental amphibology by using an Oxford comma, such as in the list of actions ‘eats, shoots, and leaves,’ instead of the ambiguous list ‘eats, shoots and leaves.’"
"I was alarmed by an amphibology in my adviser’s letter of recommendation, because an ambiguous statement could be misread."
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