How to Diagram
Started by
colleen_
· started 2020-04-23 22:42
· last activity 2020-05-05 16:31
· 1 reply
How would you diagram Not all parrots have equally pleasant dispositions" ?
I diagrammed it as P-some-EPD but in another discussion thread someone diagrammed it as P-some-not EPD. I don't understand why it would be not EPD
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SamA
· 2020-05-05 16:31
Hello @colleen_,
"Not all parrots have equally pleasant dispositions."
Your diagram neglects the "not" part of the sentence, which makes it incorrect. I'll explain why. The sentence in question allows for the possibility that no two parrots have equally pleasant dispositions. It is entirely possible that zero parrots have equally pleasant dispositions. This is why we cannot make the conclusion expressed by your diagram. It is not necessarily true that some parrots have an equally pleasant disposition. Maybe none of them do.
What we can conclude from "not all" is "some do not." This might be: one does not, most do not, or all do not. The only thing we can say for certain is "some do not."
P --- some --- not EPD
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