[Grammar] What is the difference i meaning between these 2 sentences?

[jitkajar]

Could you explain the difference in meaning, if any, between the following 2 sentences?

(a) My brother, who is in the army, has just moved to Paris.
(b) My brother who is in the army has just moved to Paris.

 

[ramtin]

In the first sentence there is an emphasis on (my brother).I think both of them is grammatically correct

 

[TheParser]

Could you explain the difference in meaning, if any, between the following 2 sentences?

(a) My brother, who is in the army, has just moved to Paris.
(b) My brother who is in the army has just moved to Paris.

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

Hello, Jitkajar.

(1) We have recently had some interesting threads on this matter.

(2) There is not 100% agreement.

(3) But this is one explanation that some (many?) people accept:

My brother has moved to Paris. That is what I am telling you. Then I

give you some extra information about his being in the army. I put that

extra information between periods. That means that the information

is not super important. It can be erased. Therefore, the sentence is

really: My brother has moved to Paris. Some (not all) people feel that

this shows that you have only one brother.

***

My brother who is in the army has just moved to Paris. =

I did not use commas. Why? Because "who is in the army" is

super important information that cannot be erased. It cannot be

erased because I want to identify which brother has moved. It is

the one who is in the army, not the brother of mine who is a doctor in

New York. As you can see, many people feel that such a sentence

without commas means you have at least two brothers.

Thank you

 

[Raymott]

Could you explain the difference in meaning, if any, between the following 2 sentences?

(a) My brother, who is in the army, has just moved to Paris.
(b) My brother who is in the army has just moved to Paris.

You should look up defining (restrictive) and non-defining (non-restrictive) 'which/who' clauses.

a) is non-defining. It adds extra information about the brother.
b) is defining/restricting. It restricts/defines the meaning of "My brother" to "My brother who is in the army". Which brother? The brother who is in the army.

 

[euncu]

As you can see, many people feel that such a sentence

without commas means you have at least two brothers.

Thank you

Thanks again for your elaborate answer (as usual)

You, as a native-speaker, may naturally draw such a conclusion from this kind of sentence. Naturally, because until now it's a good chance that you have heard thousands of them. But me, as a non-native-speaker, I couldn't see the information or the tips in the sentence enable me to reach the same conclusion you did.

If the speaker was saying "the one in the army", of course there would be no problem, and everbody would know that he/she has more than one brother. But from the given (both) sentences, I couldn't say how many syblings he/she has, let alone the number of brothers. So, I'll be very happy if you show me a practical means, if there is one, to facilitate me to tell if one has one brother or more than one brothers from this kind of sentences, just by the presence or absence of commas.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TheParser]

Thanks again for your elaborate anwer (as usual)

You, as a native-speaker, may naturally draw such a conclusion from this kind of sentence. Naturally, because until know it's a good chance that you have heard thousands of them. But me, as a non-native-speaker, I couldn't see the information or the tips in the sentence enable me to reach the same conclusion you did.

If the speaker was saying "the one in the army", of course there would be no problem, and everbody would know that he/she has more than one brother. But from the given (both) sentences, I couldn't say how may syblings he/she has, let alone the number of brothers. So, I'll be very happy if you show me a practical means, if there is one, to facilitate me to
tell if one has one brother or more than one brothers from this kind of sentences, just by the presence or absence of commas.

Thanks in advance.

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

Hello, Euncu.

(1) Thank you for your kind note.

(2) All that I know (or think I know) about this matter is

contained in my post.

(3) You have made an excellent observation that others also have.

I am not able to answer your question. I simply do not know.

(4) You have been a member much longer than I. So you know all

about how to find other threads (I am basically computer illiterate).

If you will check another recent (and long) thread on this matter,

you will find that some of the posters in that previous thread seem

to address your excellent question.

Thank you

 

[MASM]

You should look up defining (restrictive) and non-defining (non-restrictive) 'which/who' clauses.

a) is non-defining. It adds extra information about the brother.
b) is defining/restricting. It restricts/defines the meaning of "My brother" to "My brother who is in the army". Which brother? The brother who is in the army.

I agree,
I think that by adding commas you're adding extra information about your brother.
Without commas it means that the speaker has more than one brother and wants to specify that is the one who is in the army.

 

[jitkajar]

Thanks to everyone who replied so comprehensively. This really helped me.

Regards,

Jitka