When Not to Use Commas with Who and Which
There is often confusion about when to use commas with 'who' and 'which'. Unfortunately, there is no simple rule. Sometimes
there should be commas and sometimes there should not. The rule is: When the information provided by the clause is required
to identify the person (or thing), then there are no commas. The
examples will make this clearer.
Examples:
 The boy who broke our window brought some flowers to the door.
(The clause "who broke our window" is required to identify "the boy" - no
commas.)
The driver who stole indicator bulbs for his own car was given a formal
warning.
(The clause "who stole indicator bulbs for his own car" is required to identify
"the driver" - no commas.)
Mr Jeremy Buxton of 16 High Street who was born on the Isle of Wight is
the second person from the village to represent England at Cluedo. 
(The clause "who was born on the Isle of Wight" is not required to
identify "Mr Jeremy Buxton of 16 High Street" - there should be commas
around this clause.)
Sarah has always been close to her parents who live in the same village as us.
(The clause "who live in the same village as us" is not required to identify
Sarah's parents - comma required before "who".)
should
be "...parents, who live..." (unless she has other parents)
(letter in a newspaper)
The vans which you bought last week are all scratched.
|
THAT - RESTRICTIVE CLAUSE
When a clause is necessary for identification, it is called a 'restrictive
clause'. It is 'restrictive' because you have to use it. There are never commas around a restrictive clause. When using a restrictive clause, the words
'who' or 'which' can be replaced with 'that'. (Therefore, there are never commas around a clause which starts with
'that'.)
 The boy who broke our window bought me some flowers.
The boy that broke our window bought me some flowers.
The PC which keeps breaking down is under guarantee.
The PC that keeps breaking down is under guarantee.
REMOVE IT ALTOGETHER
Quite often with a restrictive clause, you can remove the 'who', 'which' or 'that' altogether.
The reprimand which you received was justified.
The reprimand that you received was justified.
The reprimand you received was justified.
|
 |
 |
BEWARE OF AMBIGUITY
Look at the sentences below. Both are grammatically correct, but they are slightly different in meaning.
 Sarah has always been close to her sister who lives in the same
village.
Sarah has always been close to her sister, who lives in the
same village.
In the first example, you can assume that Sarah has more than one sister and that Sarah is close to the one that lives in the same village.
In the second example, you can assume that Sarah has only one sister. As it happens, she lives in the same village as Sarah.
|
|
Common grammar errors
