A "garden path" is a type of sentence that initially leads readers to interpret it in one way, but later requires them to reanalyze it for correct understanding. This phenomenon occurs because the structure of the sentence misleads the reader, creating confusion before the true meaning is revealed. For example, the sentence "The horse raced past the barn fell" suggests that the horse is racing, but it actually means that the horse, which was raced past the barn, has fallen. Garden path sentences highlight the complexities of language processing and how context influences comprehension.