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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Appl Psycholinguist. 2012 Aug 10;35(1):27–70. doi: 10.1017/S0142716412000252
Context Target sentence
1a. Two criminals robbed a jewelry store on the same night. One stole an expensive diamond and the other stole a ring. The policeman discovered the criminal with the expensive diamond. (NP-attachment)
1b. A criminal had been hiding out in an apartment for months. A policeman watched the apartment with a hidden microphone and a video camera. The policeman discovered the criminal with the hidden microphone. (VP-attachment)
2a. A knight saw two queens were in trouble. One queen had a big heart and was very kind. The other queen was cruel. The knight rescued the queen with the big heart. (NP-attachment)
2b. A knight saw his queen was in trouble. In his hands he carried a sword and a bow that he could use to free her. The knight rescued the queen with the sword. (VP-attachment)
3a. A deer found two trails that crossed in the woods. One trail was older but the other was covered in fresh footprints. The deer smelled the trail with the footprints. (NP-attachment)
3b. A deer came across an animal’s trail in the woods. The deer sensed danger. The deer smelled the trail with careful attention. (VP-attachment)
4a. The fortuneteller was afraid to look into the future. Either it would be a lovely future or a future with many new problems. The fortuneteller saw the future with its new problems. (NP-attachment)
4b. The fortuneteller had cards and a crystal ball at her disposal. The fortuneteller saw the future with the cards. (VP-attachment)
5a. A professor could not remember who had the first appointment of the semester. Was he tutoring the freshman with the black bag or the freshman with the red backpack? The professor taught the freshman with the red backpack. (NP-attachment)
5b. The professor met with a freshman from his course, who had brought a book and a calculator to the professor’s office hours. The freshman clearly needed a lot of help. The professor taught the freshman with the help of the book. (VP-attachment)
6a. The manager of a large company had two secretaries: one with two children who worked very diligently and one without children who always went home at 4:00. The manager thanked the secretary with two children. (NP-attachment)
6b. The manager of a large company had a secretary who had worked quite a bit of overtime in the last few months. He wanted to thank her. The manager thanked the secretary with a bouquet of flowers. (VP-attachment)
7a. Nina absolutely wanted to see a soccer game. She had two options: either a really big game with a lot of fans or a smaller game in her home town. Nina saw the game with a lot of spectators. (NP-attachment)
7b. Nina absolutely wanted to see the soccer game. But there were only two tickets left. So she could either go with her mother or with her brother. Nina saw the game with her brother. (VP-attachment)
8a. During a hold-up, a thief wanted money from two men. One man gave the thief twenty dollars. The other man had no money. The thief hit the man with no money. (NP-attachment)
8b. A man surprised a thief. The thief knew he could hit the man with a chair or a computer. The thief hit the man with a chair. (VP-attachment)
9a. A gangster saw two of his rivals in a park at night. One wore a yellow hat. The other wore a black sweater. The gangster followed his rival with the black sweater. (NP-attachment)
9b. A gangster saw his rival in a park at night. The gangster had a motorcycle and a bicycle. The gangster followed his rival with the motorcycle. (VP-attachment)
10a. Two kittens walked into Stephan’s garden. One kitten had a brownish tail and the other had a white tail. Stephan really didn’t like cats. Stephan kicked the kitten with the brownish tail. (NP-attachment)
10b. A kitten walked into Stephan’s garden. To scare it away, Stephan could kick it or spray it with water. Stephan kicked the kitten with his foot. (VP-attachment)
11a. The cook needed to hold one kind of cheese over the stove. The cook had blue cheese and a cheese with a rind. The cook held the cheese with the rind. (NP-attachment)
11b. The cook needed to hold cheese over the stove so that he could melt it into the pan. He could use a fork or a spoon. The cook held the cheese with the fork. (VP-attachment)
12a. The queen bought the king two crowns as presents. One crown had large jewels on it. The other was silver. The king searched for his presents. The king saw the crown with the large jewels. (NP-attachment)
12b. A crown was in a museum in England. The king had to decide if he should go to the exhibit himself or send his servant to see it. The king saw the crown with his very own eyes. (VP-attachment)
13a. Up until now the actor had only landed funny roles. This time he decided to play a more serious role. He had two options: he could either play the role of a sick boy or that of a boy from the slums. The actor portrayed the boy with a blood disease. (NP-attachment)
13b. Up until now the actor had only landed funny roles. This time he decided to play a more serious role. He wanted to play it as well as he could. The actor portrayed the boy with enthusiasm. (VP-attachment)
14a. A doctor went into the waiting room and saw two men. One had broken his leg and the other had a fever. The doctor examined the man with the fever. (NP-attachment)
14b. A man has been sick since yesterday and had problems with his heart and his breathing. The doctor wanted to examine everything. The doctor examined the man with the stethoscope. (VP-attachment)