Dear teacher,
should we put commas here?
My friend,(?) Bob Sacamano,(?) had shock treatments.
Thank you.
NOT A TEACHER
(1) My brother, Tom, is an engineer. = I have one brother. The two
commas show that
Tom is extra, non-essential information that can
be erased without affecting the basic meaning of the sentence:
My brother is an engineer.
(2) My brother
Tom (pronounced loudly) is an engineer. = I have
at least two brothers. So I did not use commas. The word
Tom is vital
information that cannot be erased. In other words:
It is my brother
Tom who is an engineer, not my brother
Joe.