The ambiguity of FOCUS

Today in our semantics class, we talked about focus elements in a sentence, the constituent(s) that is stressed and that answers the question of what a sentence is about.

For example: You are on the London "tube" or subway, and you see the sign, "Dogs must be carried."

Where the focal stress falls is important!

1. DOGS must be CARRIED = If you bring a dog, you have to carry it on your lap.

2. DOGS must be carried = All passengers are commanded and need to bring a dog.