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"Which" Relative Clause--"Which", "Of Which", or what?

English Language & Usage Asked by SugarFreeTom on December 7, 2020

I’m struggling with a relative ‘which’ clause right now; I’m hoping to structure it a certain way, but while I feel like I’ve read it that way before, I’m just not sure if it’s correct and I can’t find any examples of that construction. Here’s the sentence in question (and the clause in bold):

I do not observe any supposed distinction between the soul and the mind, the latter which I consider little more than a reductive account of the former.

My goal is to communicate this without constructing an independent clause:

I do not observe any supposed distinction between the soul and the mind; I consider the latter little more than a reductive account of the former.

The real snag is that I would use something like,

I do not observe any supposed distinction between the soul and the mind, which I consider little more than a reductive account of the former.

but I’m not fond of using ‘the former’ without clarifying the subject of the relative clause with ‘the latter’ (the way I read it, ‘which’ could, in the above version, refer to ‘any supposed distinction’).

How, if at all, should I revise the first version of my sentence?

Would something like,

I do not observe any supposed distinction between the soul and the mind, the latter of which I consider little more than a reductive account of the former.

be correct?

One Answer

Subject to others’ opinions, I feel your concluding version to be clear, unambiguous, grammatical and correct. Another way of achieving your aim might be ... and the mind, the latter being little more than a reductive account of the former or ... the mind, it being little more ...

Answered by Anton on December 7, 2020

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