Who’s “such a pig” in (2)?

 

Herb

 

 

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

 

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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