Which of the following two sentences is expected to be more difficult to process?

(1) Which nice event did Andy select at the hotel last night?

(2) Which event did Andy select for at the hotel last night?

Question

Which of the following two sentences is expected to be more difficult to process?

(1) Which nice event did Andy select at the hotel last night?

(2) Which event did Andy select for at the hotel last night?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To evaluate sentence processing difficulty, we compare how easily a reader can parse each sentence's syntactic structure and integrate its meaning.
Option (1): 'Which nice event did Andy select at the hotel last night?' This sentence has a straightforward structure: a wh-question introducing 'Which nice event' followed by a simple past tense verb sequence 'did Andy select' and a clear prepositional phrase 'at the hotel last night' indicating location. The preposition 'at' attaches neatly to 'the hotel,' and there is no extraneous material disrupting the core verb phrase. Overall, the sentence presents a clean, canonical processing path, with a familiar subject-verb-object order and a single location PP.
Option (2): 'Which event did Andy select for at the hotel last night?' Here, the sequence introduces a problematic or semantically odd preposition chain: 'for at the hotel' disrupts the expected complement or purpose structure. The verb 'select' typically takes a direct object (the event) and a prepositional phrase for location ('at the hotel') or a purpose phrase, but combining 'for' with 'at the hotel' after the verb creates a temporary ambiguity: is 'for' introducing a purpose, a recipient, or something else? This unusual pairing creates a processing dip as readers reanalyze the sentence to resolve the function of 'for' and how it relates to 'at the hotel.' Such disruptions tend to increase working memory load and momentarily hinder integration of the event into the discourse context.
In terms of anticipatory cues, sentence (1) aligns with common English usage patterns for questions about events and locations, enabling smoother pre-activation of expected structures. Sentence (2), by contrast, defies typical attachment or argument structure expectations, which tends to produce longer reading times or increased processing effort as readers attempt to reinterpret the grammar and semantics.
Therefore, the second sentence is expected to be more difficult to process due to its awkward 'for at the hotel' construction and the resulting need for extra syntactic and semantic reanalysis, whereas the first sentence presents a conventional, easily processed structure with a clear meaning.

LIN102H1S Quiz 03 (due Friday 21 March before 11:59pm)

Which of the following two sentences is expected to be more difficult to process? (1) Which nice event did Andy select at the hotel last night? (2) Which event did Andy select for at the hotel last night?

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LIN102H1S Quiz 03 (due Friday 21 March before 11:59pm)

Which of the following two sentences is expected to be more difficult to process? (1) Which nice event did Andy select at the hotel last night? (2) Which event did Andy select for at the hotel last night?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

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Which of the following two sentences is expected to be easier to process? (1) What did the friendly lady arrange for in the garage the other day? (2) What did the friendly lady arrange in the big garage the other day?

For the following pair, select which sentence is EASIER to process, according to memory-based explanations.

For the following pair, select which sentence is EASIER to process, according to memory-based explanations.

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What did Frazier and Clifton (1989) conclude when they tested sentences like (1) and (2): (1) What did the shy child whisper __ to his mother during the party yesterday? (2) What did the shy child whisper to his mother about __ during the party yesterday?

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