in a way he’ll suffer from all his life

[diamondcutter]

He has been unlucky to have lost your friendship in a way he’ll suffer from all his life.

(from a test paper)

In this sentence, I wonder what is the object of the phrasal verb “suffer from”. Is it “all his life”?

 

[tedmc]

He has been unlucky to have lost your friendship in a way he’ll suffer from all his life.

The underlined part doesn't look right. How about "in a way he is to suffer all his life"?

 

[Rover_KE]

(from a test paper)

What was the question about the sentence? Who set the test?

 

[GoesStation]

He has been unlucky to have lost your friendship in a way he’ll suffer from all his life.

The underlined part doesn't look right.

It's fine.

 

[diamondcutter]

Thanks, Rover.

The question is to put the sentence into Chinese. I don’t know who set it. It’s just one question from a paper.

In order to put it into Chinese, I have to understand it clearly.

I’ll have a try. I think the original sentence means this.

He has been unlucky that he has lost your friendship.
He’ll suffer from the loss all his life.

I wonder if my understanding is correct, and I don’t understand the relationship between “the way” and “suffer from”.

Would you please paraphrase it for me?

 

[tedmc]

It's fine.

What does "suffer from all his life" mean?

One suffers from a problem. How can one suffer from his life?

Or does it mean "suffer (through/in) his whole life"?

 

[probus]

It's quite a standard phrase Tedmc, and I'm rather surprised you don't know it given your excellent knowledge of English. For example:

She's been a chocoholic all her life.
I've wanted to taste beluga caviar all my life.
All his life, Frank was devoted to music.

"All one's life" means throughout the entire duration of a person's life.

 

[tedmc]

Where does the "from" come in?

 

[jutfrank]

I’ll have a try. I think the original sentence means this.

He has been unlucky that he has lost your friendship.
He’ll suffer from the loss all his life.

That's exactly right.

 

[emsr2d2]

Where does the "from" come in?

It's "the way" the friendship was lost that's important. It's alluded to even though it's not clearly stated what that "way" was. The effects of the way the friendship ended are what the person will suffer from for the rest of their life.

 

[diamondcutter]

It's "the way" the friendship was lost that's important. It's alluded to even though it's not clearly stated what that "way" was. The effects of the way the friendship ended are what the person will suffer from for the rest of their life.

I wonder if you mean that “he’ll suffer from” is a relative clause and there’s an omitted relative pronoun “which” before it.

 

[emsr2d2]

I wonder if you mean that “he’ll suffer from” is a relative clause and there’s an omitted relative pronoun “which” before it.

"which" - no. But "that" could be added before "he'll suffer".

 

[diamondcutter]

"which" - no. But "that" could be added before "he'll suffer".

Would you tell me why "which" doesn't work?

 

[GoesStation]

Would you tell me why "which" doesn't work?

It works for my American ears.

 

[emsr2d2]

I use "which" only after a comma. For me, it's fine to say "in a way that he'll suffer from all his life", but not "... in a way, which he'll suffer from all his life". It's important to keep "that" attached to "in a way".