a. Tom came here with his brother.
Does that imply that Tom has only one brother?
b. My sister's co-worker's wife is a mathematician.
Does that imply that my sister has only one co-worker?
c. My mother's cousin's husband is a dentist.
Does that imply that my father has only one cousin?
Many thanks.
@azz posted:a. Tom came here with his brother.
Does that imply that Tom has only one brother?
b. My sister's co-worker's wife is a mathematician.
Does that imply that my sister has only one co-worker?
c. My mother's cousin's husband is a dentist.
Does that imply that my father has only one cousin?
Hi, Azz—In (a), we don't know how many brothers Tom has. In (b), we don't know how many co-workers your sister has. And in (c), we don't know how many cousins your mother has. In each case, the speaker is thinking of whomever he is thinking of and implying nothing about the existence of others.
