Newspaper headlines, such as "Two Convicts Evade Noose, Jury Hung", may strike us as funny. From the perspective of language, this is because the phrase or headline
A)is impossible to interpret.
B)has ambiguous meaning.
C)has no literal interpretation.
D)lacks subject-verb agreement.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The headline is ambiguous because it has multiple possible interpretations. It could mean that the convicts avoided the noose, but the jury couldn't reach a verdict. Or, it could mean that the convicts evaded the noose that was meant for them, and the jury was hung meaning evenly divided in their decision-making. The ambiguity makes the headline humorous.

Newspaper Headlines, Such as "Two Convicts Evade Noose, Jury Hung