Joseph's son Tony is a doctor.vs Joseph's son, Tony, is a doctor.

Joseph's son Tony is a doctor.
Joseph's son, Tony, is a doctor.

As Joseph has two other sons, do I use the first sentence without a comma or the second with commas?

Thanks.

kohyoongliat said:

Joseph's son Tony is a doctor.
Joseph's son, Tony, is a doctor.

As Joseph has two other sons, do I use the first sentence without a comma or the second with commas?

Thanks.

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It doesn't matter, IMO.

kohyoongliat said:

Joseph's son Tony is a doctor.
Joseph's son, Tony, is a doctor.

As Joseph has two other sons, do I use the first sentence without a comma or the second with commas?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I agree with bhai. Neither version limits the number of Joseph's sons.

What about the following sentence?

My mother, who is a homemaker, guides me in my studies.

Are the commas needed?

Thanks.

kohyoongliat said:

What about the following sentence?

My mother, who is a homemaker, guides me in my studies.

Are the commas needed?

Thanks.

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Yes. It is non-defining clause. It is not essential in the sentence.

MikeNewYork said:

Yes. It is non-defining clause. It is not essential in the sentence.

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Thanks, Mike.
Do you mean the commas are not needed? What you said runs counter to some grammar books say.

kohyoongliat said:

Thanks, Mike.
Do you mean the commas are not needed? What you said runs counter to some grammar books say.

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Mike said 'Yes' - the commas are needed. He then explained why.

Thanks,, 5jj.

I misread. My brain was not in gear. If that is the case, why does it not apply to the sentence posted earlier?

Joseph's son Tony is a doctor.(Here, Joseph has three sons altogether, and yet whether there are commas or none is immaterial. They mean the same thing.)

My mother, who is a homemaker, guides me in my studies. (Here, I have only one mother, so commas are needed.)

kohyoongliat said:

Thanks,, 5jj.

I misread. My brain was not in gear. If that is the case, why does it not apply to the sentence posted earlier?

Joseph's son Tony is a doctor.(Here, Joseph has three sons altogether, and yet whether there are commas or none is immaterial. They mean the same thing.)

My mother, who is a homemaker, guides me in my studies. (Here, I have only one mother, so commas are needed.)

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No, it's not because you only have one mother that the commas are needed. Did you read MikeNewYork's post?

Thanks, Bhai.

Are you saying that I can write as follows?

My mother who is a homemaker guides me in my studies.

My brother who is very intelligent guides me in my studies. (if I have only one brother)

kohyoongliat said:

Thanks, Bhai.

Are you saying that I can write as follows?

My mother who is a homemaker guides me in my studies.

My brother who is very intelligent guides me in my studies. (if I have only one brother)

Click to expand...

No, commas are needed in both. Try Googling non-defining clause and defining clause.

When there is only one, the commas are needed.

When there is more than one, they are optional.

When you do NOT use the commas, you are telling us which one you mean.
When you use the commas, you are adding information that is not grammatically necessary for the entire sentence to work.