How would you interpret this sentence?

[Disney1fan2002]

I got a message from my high school's alumni association. It was just announcing the annual Senior/ Parent dinner.

Anyway, when I went to this small private school 24 years ago, there were only 94 seniors.

This was the message: "300 seniors, their parents, grandparents and friends joined us for a night filled with....blah, blah blah."

My 1st reaction was to freak out that this tiny private school has 300 seniors!!!! I was all set to send an e-mail to the alumni director asking how this was possible, then I realized they must have meant the total in attendance was 300.

Did I read the sentence wrong? Doesn't that sentence say there are 300 seniors?

 

[Christine]

I got a message from my high school's alumni association. It was just announcing the annual Senior/ Parent dinner.

Anyway, when I went to this small private school 24 years ago, there were only 94 seniors.

This was the message: "300 seniors, their parents, grandparents and friends joined us for a night filled with....blah, blah blah."

My 1st reaction was to freak out that this tiny private school has 300 seniors!!!! I was all set to send an e-mail to the alumni director asking how this was possible, then I realized they must have meant the total in attendance was 300.

Did I read the sentence wrong? Doesn't that sentence say there are 300 seniors?

The sentence, to me, sounds like there were 300 seniors PLUS their parents, grandparents and friends. Wow there could have bee 900 people there!

It should have said "300 guests which included seniors, their parents, grandparents, and friends, joined us..."

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Poor grammar. get thema copy of Eats Shoots & Leaves.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

Poor grammar. get thema copy of Eats Shoots & Leaves.

 

[sbell111]

It's not unimaginable that a school would grow from 94 students to 300 students in 24 years.

 

[daughtersrus]

I got a message from my high school's alumni association. It was just announcing the annual Senior/ Parent dinner.

Anyway, when I went to this small private school 24 years ago, there were only 94 seniors.

This was the message: "300 seniors, their parents, grandparents and friends joined us for a night filled with....blah, blah blah."

My 1st reaction was to freak out that this tiny private school has 300 seniors!!!! I was all set to send an e-mail to the alumni director asking how this was possible, then I realized they must have meant the total in attendance was 300.

Did I read the sentence wrong? Doesn't that sentence say there are 300 seniors?

I would read that as 300 students plus the guests.

The sentence, to me, sounds like there were 300 seniors PLUS their parents, grandparents and friends. Wow there could have bee 900 people there!

Actually 2,100 not including friends if each student had 2 parents and 4 grandparents.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I am a bit of a grammar hound. If they had left the word "their" out, it would be fine. And I doubt they meant they grew that much. It's just poorly worded.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I am a bit of a grammar hound. If they had left the word "their" out, it would be fine. And I doubt they meant they grew that much. It's just poorly worded.

I agree - IF the total in attendance were 300. If, however, as suggested above, the graduating class has more than tripled over the last 24 years, the sentence is structured reasonably well. Less confusing in that case, though, would have been, "Three hundred* seniors, along with their parents, grandparents and friends joined us for a night filled with....blah, blah blah."

*Changed because while generally numbers over ten are presented in digit form, that's never true at the beginning of a sentence

Sincerely,
Kaytieeldr
Honorary Member
MENSA Grammar Police

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I agree - IF the total in attendance were 300. If, however, as suggested above, the graduating class has more than tripled over the last 24 years, the sentence is structured reasonably well. Less confusing in that case, though, would have been, "Three hundred* seniors, along with their parents, grandparents and friends joined us for a night filled with....blah, blah blah."

*Changed because while generally numbers over ten are presented in digit form, that's never true at the beginning of a sentence

Sincerely,
Kaytieeldr
Honorary Member
MENSA Grammar Police

True! But I was assuming they didn't grow that much. And I agree with your re-wording if the opposite is true. Either way, it is ambiguous therfore not a great sentence!