"which " confusion.

[omerfarooq.md]

consider these 2 sentences:

1) I got a pen in different colours, which helps me to write .

My approach: As "in different colours" is prepositional phrase, here"which " talks about pen. Hence the above sentence is correct.


2)Ragina returned the dress to the store , which was torn at one of the seams.

My approach : Here what does which refer to?? I believe that which refers to the dress as "to the store" is the prep phrase.

Is my approach right.?? please clear my doubt. I have too much confusion.

Thanks to help me.

[tim]

Please do a search on the forum for the phrase "closest eligible noun" so you can identify how to properly analyze the use of "which" on the test. Then come back here and re-analyze your sentences so I know you've got it.

[poonamchiK]

consider these 2 sentences:

1) I got a pen in different colours, which helps me to write .

My approach: As "in different colours" is prepositional phrase, here"which " talks about pen. Hence the above sentence is correct.


2)Ragina returned the dress to the store , which was torn at one of the seams.

My approach : Here what does which refer to?? I believe that which refers to the dress as "to the store" is the prep phrase.

Is my approach right.?? please clear my doubt. I have too much confusion.

Thanks to help me.

Hello there,

So how do we approach a problem like this! Lets simplify this...

1) I got a pen in different colours, which helps me to write .

So look at the explanation carefully.
I got a X in different Y, which helps me to write.

When we use the word 'which' it is affiliated to the word that it is closest to after the comma. That means you are trying to say it is the colours WHICH help you to write (not the pen).
But in reality you wanted to say it is the pen which helps you to write. Then here is how u will form the sentence.
I got a pen, which helps me to write, in different colours.

Look again at e.g. 2

2)Ragina returned the dress to the store , which was torn at one of the seams.

Here the sentence is saying that it is the store which is torn at one of the seams.

CORRECT STATEMENT: Regina returned the dress, which was torn at one of the seams, to the store.

ALSO to clarify the confusion, if you have put a part of the sentence within commas - it needs to be non essential for the sentence. That means the sentence can survive without that non essential component without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Hope that helps
Cheers!

[tim]

Please pay attention to the suggestions in my previous post, so you can analyze this one correctly. All you seem to be doing here is taking the closest noun period, whereas the correct approach is a little more nuanced.

Take the noun and PLUG IT IN for "which"; that's how you can tell if it's an eligible noun. You can't say "colours helps...", which is why "colours" is not an eligible noun, and the "which" therefore has to refer to "pen".

Check out those posts I referred to earlier, and then let us know if you have any further questions.