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"John has 12,000 in cash, and his sugar mommy gave him 8,000. He then decides to spend half that amount to 'insert action here'."

What amount is the problem referring to? Does it refer to the article preceding that, which would be 8,000? Or would it be referring to the entire amount?

CrimsonDark
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Dame Da Ne
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  • It's not clear at all. I think that it's probably 20,000 because there would be no reason to mention the 12,000 otherwise. However it does depend on what comes afterwards, if another sentence says that John then spent 15,000 on a car then, clearly, 'that amount' could not have referred to the total. However it's badly written because it is ambiguous, it should say something like 'half of the latter amount', 'half of all of it', '10,000' or anything else that clarifies it. – BoldBen Sep 24 '20 at 06:15
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    The sentence is indeed ambiguous, but its ambiguity does not illustrate any general characteristic of English language and usage. There is thus nothing to say about it, other than express our sympathy with those who are subjected to such poorly formulated problems. – jsw29 Sep 24 '20 at 16:12

2 Answers2

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To me it reads as the total 20,000 and not the 8,000 from the sugar mommy. "That" amount seems to refer to the sum of money; it doesn't specifically state whether it was John's original amount nor the newly received amount.

Onomatopable
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I would take "that amount" as referring either to the last mentioned amount (8000) or, unusually, to the result of the process so far. It isn't clear which is meant because the question has been phrased poorly, but I would take it to mean 8000.

CrimsonDark
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