0
Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

An antecedent that is apart from relative pronouns

"I know the man in the black coat who stands beside the door." Do we need to put a comma in front of "who" if it is apart from an antecedent? Or if 'who stands' is formed into 'standing', do we need a comma in front of 'standing'? Or it is better and optional but not needed 100%? What do native English speakers think? Thank you as usual!!
  

Top answer

Do we need to put a comma in front of " who " if it is apart from an antecedent? No, the antecedent is quite clear. The relative pronoun "who" cannot refer to coat, an inanimate object.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Do we need to put a comma in front of " who " if it is apart from an antecedent?
  • No, the antecedent is quite clear.
  • The relative pronoun "who" cannot refer to coat, an inanimate object.
  • The nearest word that is a possible antecedent is "man".
  • The same argument hold for "standing" because a coat does not stand.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

4 Answers
0
Do we need to put a comma in front of "who" if it is apart from an antecedent?

No, the antecedent is quite clear. The relative pronoun "who" cannot refer to coat, an inanimate object. The nearest word that is a possible antecedent is "man".

The same argument hold for "standing" because a coat does not stand.
0
0
I know the man in the black coat standing beside the door.
0
0
AlpheccaStars No, the antecedent is quite clear.
If it is not clear, it is okay to put a comma in front of 'who' to make the sentence look clear. Am I right? Thank you.
0
0
AnonymousIf it is not clear, it is okay to put a comma in front of 'who' to make the sentence look clear. Am I right? Thank you.
It all depends on if the clause is restrictive or non-restrictive. If the clause is restrictive, do not use a comma.

The boy who is holding the blue ribbon won first prize. (restrictive relative clause, no comma)
The boy
0

Related Questions