[Grammar] comma before where

[minek]

Hello, my question is do I need a comma before 'where' in the following sentences? Or not? I am not sure if the clauses are essential or not.

1. They now had a city of their own, where they could practice religion freely.

2. She was sent to grow up in the countryside, where she was given special care.

3. Anna took her home, where she cared for her for five years.

Thank you for your help.

 

[The Maltese Falcon]

Hello!

The sentences here do not necessarily need the commas, but I think that they look and sound better with them. That is just a personal preference of course. It all depends on how you would like the sentences to read to the audience.

I hope this helps!
TMF

 

[emsr2d2]

I prefer them with commas too.

I'm not sure about the meaning of sentence 1. What do you mean by "They now had a city of their own"? It makes it sound as if the people in question bought or built their own city.

 

[TheParser]

I am not sure if the clauses are essential or not.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Minek:

IMHO, the where clauses in #2 and #3 are not essential.

Compare: "I returned to the city where I was born."


James

P.S. I guess that I, too, would use a comma in #1. Compare: "They finally succeeded in establishing a community where they could practice their religion in peace."

 

[MikeNewYork]

I would use a comma in all three.

 

[Raymott]

I'd say that only 2 needs a comma. The others are optional.
The reason is that only 2 could be considered to contain a restrictive clause without the comma. The other two are also non-restrictive, but there's no ambiguity.
Ie. "Which countryside did she grow up in?"; "In the countryside where she was given special care."