Cell phones should not be allowed in school.

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,

"Cell phones should not be allowed in school"

Does the sentence above mean, "Students should not be allowed to use cell phones in school"?

Or "Students should not be allowed to bring cell phones to school"?

Thank you!

OP

 

[HanibalII]

Dear all,

"Cell phones should not be allowed in school"

Does the sentence above mean, "Students should not be allowed to use cell phones in school"?

Or "Students should not be allowed to bring cell phones to school"?

Thank you!

OP

It means 'students should not be allowed to bring cell phones to school'. Your first sentence implies they are allowed to bring them to school, but not allowed to use them.

 

[Amigos4]

All three examples mentioned in the original post would stand on their own merits:

"Cell phones should not be allowed in school" means exactly what it says: cell phones should not be allowed in school. The rule would apply to everyone. No cell phones would be allowed at all!

"Students should not be allowed to use cell phones in school" means students could bring cell phones to school but they couldn't use them.

"Students should not be allowed to bring cell phones to school" means students would be prohibited from bringing cell phones to school.