- Does “baking” describe the potato or what is happening to the potato?
Those are potatoes that are used for baking.
The potatoes are being baked.
- Are the apricots ripe, or just the pears? Parentheses could indicate just what the adjective “ripe” is meant to modify. Were there many apricots as well, or just many pears?
He bought many pears and many ripe apricots.
He bought apricots and many ripe pears.
- Is “sculpture” a single physical object, or the sculptor's style expressed over many pieces and many years?
She likes his sculpture of the girl.
She likes his sculptural style.
- Was a decision made while in the bus, or was the outcome of a decision to choose the bus. Would the sentence “I decided on the car,” have a similar double meaning?
I made my decision while on the bus.
I decided to ride the bus.