Who's "such a pig" in (2)?

Herb

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Veit, Richard
Sent: 2008-12-14 13:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Clause or Phrase

Scott,

The comma certainly makes all the difference in your first and third sentences, which are certainly not synonymous:


 1.  The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him being such a pig.
 2.  The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him, being such a pig.

To me the following groupings are more or less synonymous (a with b and c, d with e and f):


 1.  The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him being such a pig.
 2.  The boy was very happy that his mother did not see his being such a pig.  [a tad awkward for me]
 3.  The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him in the act of being such a pig.

 4.  The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him, being such a pig.
 5.  The boy, being such a pig, was very happy that his mother did not see him.
 6.  The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him, because he was such a pig.

Dick Veit

________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Woods
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2008 2:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Clause or Phrase

Are these pairs basically synonymous to you and are they punctuated correctly?

The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him being such a pig.
The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him eating so greedily.
The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him, being such a pig.
The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him, being such a duplicitous boy.
The boy was very happy that his mother did not see his being such a pig.
The boy was very happy that his mother did not see his bad behavior.

Scott Woods



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