He tells me a lie which really hurts me.

[neb090]

1. He tells me a lie which really hurts me.

In this sentence, does "which" refer to the lie?

2. He tells me a lie, which really hurts me.

In this sentence, does ",which "refer to the whole thing "He tells me a lie?"

 

[tedmc]

That's how I would interpret the two sentences.

 

[neb090]

That's how I would interpret the two sentences.

So in my first sentence, could I say "He tells me a lie , really hurting me"?

 

[tedmc]

So in my first sentence, could I say "He tells me a lie, really hurting me"?

No, it's not correct without the relative pronoun.

Do not leave a space before a comma.

 

[neb090]

No, it's not correct without the relative pronoun.

Do not leave a space before a comma.

Why can I say "The woman sold her watch which stopped running long time ago"---> The woman sold her watch stopping running long time ago.

But I can't say "He tells me a lie which really hurts me.---> He tells me a lie, really hurting me.

 

[emsr2d2]

@neb090 In post #5, you quoted tedmc's post saying "Do not leave a space before a comma" and then wrote this:

He tells me a lie , really hurting me.

We like to see that you're actually taking notice of our advice so please try not to repeat errors that have already been corrected.

 

[5jj]

Why can I say "The woman sold her watch which stopped running long time ago"---> The woman sold her watch stopping running long time ago.

You can't.

 

[neb090]

@neb090 In post #5, you quoted tedmc's post saying "Do not leave a space before a comma" and then wrote this:

He tells me a lie , really hurting me.

We like to see that you're actually taking notice of our advice so please try not to repeat errors that have already been corrected.

Sorry, I have corrected it.

 

[neb090]

You can't.

The example "The woman sold her watch which stopped running long time ago"---> The woman sold her watch stopping running long time ago." is what my English textbook teaches me.

 

[5jj]

Your textbook is wrong.

As always, please tell us the title and author of any book you mention.

 

[neb090]

Your textbook is wrong.

As always, please tell us the title and author of any book you mention.

Title: Sanmin English

Chief Editor: CHE,YUN-TING

Editors: 21 Chinese-speaking English teachers from different high schools

Freelancers: Ian Fletcher, Theodore Pigott

 

[neb090]

My English textbook says in "The woman sold her watch stopping running long time ago", "stopping running" is a participle phrase.

 

[jutfrank]

The example "The woman sold her watch which stopped running long time ago"---> The woman sold her watch stopping running long time ago." is what my English textbook teaches me.

This English textbook is not helping you as much as another book could. In fact, it may be impeding your learning in some ways. If you're serious about learning English, you should listen to my advice carefully: Work from a different book.

 

[Tarheel]

It's hard for me to believe that they left out the article in a book on English grammar. The watch stopped running a long time ago. NOT The watch stopped running long time ago.