Please help me understand the exact meaning

Posted Feb 20, 2010 10:40pm by chyh

Joined: Feb 20th, 2010
Posts: 13

Here is a term : the number of Japanese people traveling abroad last December

Please tell me when you try to understand the term above, do you have any confusion in the following respects:

1-----It could mean: the number of Japanese who exited Japan to travel last December.

2----It cound mean: the number of Japanese in a state of traveling outside of Japan last December no matter when they exited Japan to start the travel.

What I mean is: do you find the term 'the number of Japanese people traveling abroad last December' ambiguous? Thank you.

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MrTang

Joined: Jul 8th, 2009
Posts: 1,891

Re: Please help me understand the exact meaning

Posted by: MrTang on Feb 20, 2010 10:42pm

yes

Im a f-ing Idiot.

chyh

Joined: Feb 20th, 2010
Posts: 13

Re: Please help me understand the exact meaning

Posted by: chyh on Feb 20, 2010 10:54pm

Mr Tang, are you a native English speaker? I hope so, although you have a Chinese username. No offense. I just want to make sure the term really could cause misunderstanding.

MrTang

Joined: Jul 8th, 2009
Posts: 1,891

Re: Please help me understand the exact meaning

Posted by: MrTang on Feb 20, 2010 10:55pm

I speak to any natives, do not worry.

Im a f-ing Idiot.

Jane Eyre

Joined: Dec 12th, 2009
Posts: 95

Re: Please help me understand the exact meaning

Posted by: Jane Eyre on Feb 21, 2010 11:00pm

I don't think so.....

I just think “traveling abroad” is a present participial phrase. It's an attribute modifying“Japanese people”.

对吗

白人

Joined: Jul 26th, 2009
Posts: 873

Re: Please help me understand the exact meaning

Posted by: 白人 on Feb 23, 2010 9:22pm

Now that you mention it, it could be the meaning of B, but I assure you that the writer was intending to say A. That's what most native speakers would see it as meaning. The fact that B could also mean the same thing is somewhat coincidental.