zyc50 发表于 2007-7-31 10:14:34

ambiguous and ambivalent

Some people are confused by the word definitions of ambiguous and ambivalent:
Ambiguous means 'having more than one meaning or open to different interpretations'.

Example:
He caught a cockroach in his pajamas.
What does this sentence tell us. Was there a cockroach in his pajamas or was the man wearing pajamas while catching a cockroach? We will never know.

The word ambivalent means 'having mixed feelings'.
Example:
The French are ambivalent about royalty: they abolished their own monarchy but are very interested in the British royal family.
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