The following sentences can be interpreted in a number of different ways.
1. "Flying planes can be dangerous." If this sign is posted at a model-airplane event in a park, there are at least two logical interpretations.
A. The model airplanes that are being flown by individuals at the park are dangerous. For example, a model airplane could hit a bystander in the head if the person flying it is not paying attention or loses control. Planes that are flying, then, are dangerous and caution should be exercised to ensure planes in flight do not cause injuries.
B. The act of flying a model airplane can be dangerous. For example, someone with a control who is flying a model airplane could be distracted as he or she is attempting to guide the model plane. If caution is not exercised, the "pilot" could walk into a tree or bump into another person as he or she is distracted. The act of flying the plane, then, is dangerous.
2. "Please remove your clothes when the cycle is complete." At a coin-operated laundry facility.
A. This statement could, and mostly likely does, mean that when the washer or dryer has finished washing or drying a customer's clothes, the customer should take the clothing out of the machine, presumably to clear the machine for use by another customer.
B. This statement logically could be interpreted to mean that when the washer or dryer has finished washing or drying the customer's laundry, the customer should take off the clothing he or she is wearing.
3. "Slow children ahead." On a sign near a school.
A. This statement likely cautions vehicle drivers to reduce their speed because children gather in the area. Grammatically, the sign means: "[Go] slow, children ahead."
B. The statement could also be interpreted as declaring that children, who are slow, are in the area. The sign, if read literally, means exactly that.
4. "The door is alarmed."
A. This statement could mean that a door has been secured; either someone has locked it or activated a security system that would cause an alarm to go off if opened.
B. Read literally, the statement means that the door itself is alarmed by something. This literal interpretation does not make much logical sense, but if it is used in literature, the author might be using the literary technique of personification to attribute human characteristics and emotions to an inanimate object, namely, the door.
