Sekirov Dictionary

garden path sentence

UK /ˈɡɑːdən pɑːθ ˈsɛntəns/US /ˈɡɑːɹdən pæθ ˈsɛntəns/

noun1

•
A sentence that is easily parsed incorrectly when first read, due to the ambiguity of a word or words.
- One of the functions of punctuation is to reduce any ambiguity, and readers are less confused by garden-path sentences that are punctuated than by those that are not[…]. — 2005

forms

garden path sentences · garden-path sentences

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