I often find these odd sentences while reading headlines aloud. They’re called “Garden Path” sentences, because they're misleading. For a second or two, you think they’re grammatically incorrect, and then
you realize the error was yours. A classic example of this is, “The old man the
boat.” When you see the first three words, you assume “man” is the subject,
and there is no verb. But really, “man” is the verb. The subject is “old.” Here
are some more:
The horse raced past the barn fell.
The florist sent the flowers was pleased.
The cotton clothing is made of grows in Mississippi.
We painted the wall with cracks.
The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.
When Fred eats food gets thrown.
Mary gave the child the dog bit a Band-Aid.
The girl told the story cried.
Fat people eat accumulates.
That Jill is never here hurts.
The man who whistles tunes pianos.
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