Multiple nouns & which

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SGSim  #458009  Sat, 29 Dec 07 12:32 AM
Given the phrase "... a tremendous bulge on the north side of the mountain [,] which...."

Do we need full context to determine whether 'which' represents the bulge, the north side, or the mountain?

Grammatically, should 'which' always go with the closet noun or the noun positioned right before 'of' (in this case, the mountain and the north side, respectively) ?

Would the presence / absence of the comma help clarify the paring?

Thanks,


  
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Reveuse  #458011  Sat, 29 Dec 07 01:03 AM

Hi,

Without full context, I would wonder to what "which" refers.  The comma doesn't tell me enough in this case, but it may be sufficient in other cases.  In this sentence, the "which" could be an intro to a clause referring to the whole of the three things together (bulge, north side, mountain), e.g, "... which hid the potential problem from the people living in the valley to the south."

When the "which" does refer to one of the specific items (bulge, north side, mountain), it makes sense to pair the "which" closely to the item, but I think, again, it depends on the context.  In this case, if the phrase was "... a tremendous bulge on the north side of the mountain, which changed the shape of the ridge," it would be fairly clear that "which" refers to the bulge.

Hope that helps rather than confuses.  :-)

  
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CalifJim  #458039  Sat, 29 Dec 07 02:35 AM
The referent of which is always dependent on the meaning of the clauses before and after.  Commas have nothing to do with it.

CJ

  
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