Definition:Compound Statement/Ill-Formed

Definition

The substatements in a compound statement, which are joined by a connective, may be compound statements themselves.

It is clearly necessary that the interpretation of such a compound statement is unambiguous.

A compound statement is said to be ill-formed if it is ambiguous as to how its substatements are grouped by the action of the connectives.

For example, in natural language:

I would like some juice or water with ice.

can mean either:

I would like some juice, or water with ice.

or:

I would like some juice with ice, or water with ice.

Also see

• Definition:Ambiguity
• Definition:Amphiboly, the analogue in symbolic logic

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