Commas with Who

Commas, or their absence, can change the meaning of a sentence in profound ways. This is the main reason why commas must be correct. The ability of commas to change the meaning of sentences is most apparent with the word who.

To understand how this occurs, we must first understand the difference between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses.

Restrictive Clauses vs. Non-restrictive Clauses

Restrictive clause: Information that identifies which person or thing you mean and that indicates one person or thing from similar people or things. A restrictive clause restricts a reader’s attention from a category or group to a single person or thing in the category or group. Information in a restrictive clause is essential to understand the writer’s meaning. Restrictive clauses begin with that or who.

Non-restrictive clause: Information that provides an additional description of a person or thing. The reader already knows which person or thing is being described, so this information is not essential to understand the writer’s meaning. Non-restrictive clauses begin with which and who.

Commas with Who

Notice that both restrictive and non-restrictive clauses can begin with who. This means the reader will need additional clues to understand whether the writer is using a restrictive or non-restrictive clause. The reader needs additional clues to determine whether the writer is providing information to indicate which person or is providing additional information about a person. Commas provide this clue. Let’s see how.

Examples

1. I respect soldiers who always do their duty.
2. I respect soldiers, who always do their duty.

Both examples have the clause who always do their duty. In example 1, the clause is not preceded by a comma. In example 2, it is. And this makes all the difference in meaning.

Example 1 has no comma before who. This indicates that the clause is restrictive. It is essential information to understand the meaning of the sentence. The clause cannot be separated from the main message because it is part of the main message.

One category of people is soldiers. This category may have all kinds of people in it, all known as soldiers. As a restrictive clause, who always do their duty communicates which soldiers I respect. It restricts the reader’s attention from all soldiers to particular solders. I may respect other people in the category of soldiers, but here I am discussing only soldiers who do their duty.

Example 2 has a comma before who always do their duty. With a comma, this clause is non-restrictive. It is not essential information to understand the meaning of the sentence. Instead, it provides additional information about soldiers. The comma separates the clause from the main message of the sentence, which is that I respect all soldiers.

This sentence doesn’t indicate that I respect only certain soldiers. Instead, it communicates that I respect all soldiers. The non-restrictive clause provides additional information about soldiers, stating that soldiers do their duty.

Summary of the examples:

Example 1 (restrictive, no comma): I respect certain soldiers. (Zen Comma rule V)
Example 2 (non-restrictive, comma): I respect all soldiers. (Zen Comma rule U)

Value of Commas

As we see from these two examples, the comma, or lack thereof, makes a fundamental change in the meaning. Without a clear understanding of how to use commas, a writer risks communicating the wrong idea to the reader.

---

Need help with commas? Get Zen Comma, an instructive reference guide on the 17 major uses and misuses of commas, available in PDF and Kindle formats. Read more about Zen Comma.

Your Writing Companion: Our e-book with samples from each of our writing guides: Get the free e-book (PDF, 45 pages) or purchase the Kindle version ($0.99).

Free E-Book-Top Posts from the Zen Comma Blog

Free e-book with the top 7 posts from the Zen Comma blog (as of 12/2/2011). This 13-page PDF contains the following popular posts:

• 2 Most Common Comma Errors
• A Serial Comma Creates Confusion
• Comma with But Also
• Commas and Quotation Marks
• Complicated Sentences Clarified by Commas
• Funny Sign with Comma Error
• Implied Subject Determines Comma

The free e-book also contains the post What Do Commas Do?, an introduction about the overall purpose of commas and the concepts behind using commas correctly.

Download or open here: Top Posts from the Zen Comma Blog, Edition1

If you’re serious about learning to use commas correctly, get Zen Comma. In the meantime, this free e-book will get you started.

2nd One-day Comma Contest

The following sentence needs commas. Figure out where the commas go, and put the corrected version in the comments below.

Everyone who gets this right will receive a free copy of Zen Comma and 300 Days of Better Writing (so make sure your e-mail address is valid and correct). The contest closes at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) today (8/26/2011). I’ll reveal the answer and the winners at that time. (Ahem…my decisions will be final.)

Don’t take this too seriously. Have fun.

No there is no pleasing some people Marcus thought as he gazed at the adobe huts mostly made of mud-covered straw half-buried in the hill only their doors clearly visible.

(Don’t see the comment box? Click on the contest title to make sure you’re on the post’s actual page, not the home page.)

(er…typo fixed. Thanks, Oliver!)

Contest Closed

Thanks to each of you who participated. In case you haven’t yet read the comments below…the winners are Sandy and Aoryst.

Congratulations! In the morning, I’ll send them Zen Comma and 300 Days of Better Writing (PDF). Suggestion: If you plan to print them, print them at work. Just saying.

Oliver receives a nod, as well, for pointing out a typo in the post. (Don’t look for it–I fixed it.) I’m sending him the PDF of 300 Days of Better Writing. I’ve often said that editors need to be confident and more than a little gutsy. At the same time, we need humility. (Oliver: Let me know if you already have this book, and we’ll do something else, maybe Writing Tips for a Year.)

If you didn’t get a prize this time, or if you didn’t participate, stay tuned. I’ll do it again in about a month.

One-Day Comma Contest

The following sentence needs commas. Figure out where the commas go, and put the corrected version in the comments below.

Everyone who gets this right will receive a free copy of Zen Comma (so make sure your e-mail address is correct). The contest closes at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) today (8/19/2011). I’ll reveal the answer and the winners at that time. (Ahem…my decisions will be final.)

Don’t take this too seriously. Have fun.

However they had some negative experiences including in some cases unpleasant follow-up visits such as crowded clinics and poor emergency room experiences during after-hours clinical care.

(Don’t see the comment box? Click on the contest title to make sure you’re on the post’s actual page, not the home page.)

CONTEST CLOSED

Thanks to all of you who entered this contest. Here’s where I put the commas:

However, they had some negative experiences, including, in some cases, unpleasant follow-up visits, such as crowded clinics, and poor emergency room experiences during after-hours clinical care.

One note about my version: “follow-up visits” and “emergency room experiences” are different things, which means we need that comma after “clinics.” “Poor emergency room visits are not a type of “unpleasant follow-up visits.” Rather, they are a type of “negative experiences.”

Think about it like this: However, they had some negative experiences, including, in some cases, (1) unpleasant follow-up visits, such as crowded clinics, and (2) poor emergency room experiences during after-hours clinical care.

That tricky comma is essential to show how the items are combined or, in this case, not combined.

Two contest participants got all the commas right except that one. Close enough for me!

Winners are Micro Fiction (#2) and KCM (#4). I’ll send you Bang! Writing with Impact (PDF) and Zen Comma (PDF) in about . . . 2 minutes.

Thank you all for participating. I’ll do this again soon, so be sure to enter again!