Meaning-in-Context – Who is Frowning in ‘Daisy Looked at Tom Frowning’?

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I read this sentence from The Great Gatsby:

“Plenty of gas,” said Tom boisterously. He looked at the gauge. “And if it runs out I can stop at a drug-store. You can buy anything at a drug-store nowadays.”

A pause followed this apparently pointless remark. Daisy looked at Tom frowning, and an indefinable expression, at once definitely unfamiliar and vaguely recognizable, as if I had only heard it described in words, passed over Gatsby’s face.

Which one of the following interpretations is correct?

  1. Daisy looked at Tom. At the same time, she was frowning.
  2. Daisy looked at Tom, and Tom was frowning.

If 1. is correct, what do I say to mean 2?

Best Answer

From the sentence alone, it could mean either #1 or #2; there is no way to tell without context. #1 would be the more common meaning of this construction, but #2 is perfectly proper.

In this case, the previous paragraph makes it clear that Tom was happy (the term "boisterously" is used), and that Daisy and Gatsby were not. Therefore, #1 was intended.

Strictly speaking, this should have a comma:

Daisy looked at Tom, frowning.

But that is a detail often omitted, and cannot be relied on to indicate the meaning. If the comma is present, #2 is pretty much ruled out.

To make #2 clear, the sentence could be recast:

  • Daisy looked at Tom, noticing his frown.
  • Daisy looked at Tom as he frowned.

Or context could be added in a nearby sentence.

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