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 you!kkbava@gmail.com