Download version here: Grice maxims examples and exercises
1.
Carson is driving John to Meredith’s house.
CARSON: Where does Meredith live?
JOHN: Nevada.
Maxim Violated: Quantity.
Why: There is clash between quantity and quality. Carson is looking for a street address, but
John gives a weaker, less informative statement (hence the quantity violation). If John really
doesn’t know anything more specific, however, he cannot give a more informative statement
without violating quality.
2.
JOHN: Where’s Meredith?
ELIZABETH: The control room or the science lab.
Maxim Violated: Quantity; Elizabeth didn’t give as much information as John wanted
(Meredith’s exact location), but instead gave a weaker statement (giving two possible options).
Implication: Elizabeth doesn’t know which of the two places Meredith is.
3.
SIMON: When are you coming home?
ELIZABETH: I will codify that question to my superiors and respond at such a time as an
adequate answer is preparable.
Maxim Violated: Manner; Elizabeth is using unnecessarily complicated and confusing words
and construction.
Implication: Elizabeth does not know or does not wish to give an answer to the question.4.
MEREDITH: You really love me?
JOHN: I like Ferris wheels, and college football, and things that go real fast.
Maxim Violated: Relation; John is changing the topic.
Implication: Either John doesn’t want to respond to Meredith (perhaps he has problems
discussing his feelings) or the answer is “no.”
5.
ELIZABETH: A lot of people are depending on you.
MEREDITH: Thanks, that really takes the pressure off.
Maxim Violated: Quality; knowing that “a lot of people are depending on you” does not, in fact,
take the pressure off. Meredith is saying something obviously untrue.
Implication: By saying something clearly untrue, Meredith is implying that the opposite is true
(sarcasm). The true meaning being expressed here is probably more like “That really puts a lot of
pressure on me” and perhaps, by extension, “Stop pressuring me.Exercises
Each problem presents a short dialogue. You must identify which a maxim is being used or violated.
1. LAURA: Come on, I’m taking you to the gym.
MEREDITH: Yeah, and pigs can fly.
What is Meredith implying?
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
2. CARSON: What happened?
MEREDITH: He got attacked by a giant bug, and he passed out.
Implication: He passed out because he was first attacked (in other words, the order in which the events occurred is: (1) he got attacked; (2) he passed out.)
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
3. JOHN: We just have to fly real close to the corona of the sun!
MEREDITH: You’re lucky you’re pretty.
What is Meredith implying?
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
4. LAURA: Do you have any pets?
CARSON: I have two wee baby turtles.
Implication: Carson doesn’t have any other pets besides the two turtles.
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
5. MEREDITH: Tell them what happened!
JOHN: Meredith saw an object or entity strongly resembling a giant bug.
Answers to Exercises
1. LAURA: Come on, I’m taking you to the gym.
MEREDITH: Yeah, and pigs can fly.
What is Meredith implying?
Meredith refuses to go to the gym with Laura.
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
Quality. Meredith is saying something which is clearly untrue. By combining the “yes” response
with a clearly untrue statement, Meredith is implying that the actual response is “no.”
2. CARSON: What happened?
MEREDITH: He got attacked by a giant bug, and he passed out.
Implication: He passed out because he was first attacked (in other words, the order in which the
events occurred is: (1) he got attacked; (2) he passed out.)
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
Manner. According to the maxim of manner, you are supposed to say things in an orderly way,
so you should say events in the actual order in which they occurred. When a person says “This
happened and that happened,” you assume they mean “this happened, and then that happened.”
3. JOHN: We just have to fly real close to the corona of the sun!
MEREDITH: You’re lucky you’re pretty.
What is Meredith implying?
John’s idea is stupid.
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
Relation. Meredith is going off topic, talking about John’s looks rather than his idea.
4. LAURA: Do you have any pets?
CARSON: I have two wee baby turtles.
Implication: Carson doesn’t have any other pets besides the two turtles.
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
Quantity. According to maxim of quantity, you are supposed to say the strongest statement you
possible can. So we have to assume that’s what Carson is doing. If he actually had, say, two
turtles and a dog, he should have made the stronger statement “I have two turtles and a dog”
instead of the weaker (but still true) statement “I have two turtles.”
5. MEREDITH: Tell them what happened!
JOHN: Meredith saw an object or entity strongly resembling a giant bug.
What is John implying?
Whatever Meredith saw, it wasn’t a giant bug.
What maxim creates that implication, and why?
Manner. John is using unusually vague and ambiguous language. By describing what Meredith
saw in an unusual way, he’s signaling that there’s something unusual about it—it isn’t what it
seemed to be.
Alternate explanation. John is signaling a minor violation of quality. He can’t just say “Meredith
saw a giant bug” since he isn’t sure if it’s true, so he avoids violating quality by using words
especially chosen to signal his uncertainty