Please help me out.

Question

John is a high school student, and he can speak English well.-&gt; John is a high school student, who can speak English well.Can I convert the first to the second?And do you think there is any difference between them."John is a high school student, who can speak English well"  and "John is a high school student who can speak English well"  I know we first consider contexts, but I think we can use either one for the same meaning in some cases. What do you think?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

John is a high school student, and he can speak English well.-> John is a high school student, who can speak English well.

Can I convert the first to the second? Yes

And do you think there is any difference between them. Yes.
The 'and' version gives equal importance to each fact.
The 'who' version gives the main importance to the fact in the main clause. ( That's why it is called the main clause.

)

"John is a high school student, who can speak English well" and "John is a high school student who can speak English well"

I know we first consider contexts, but I think we can use either one for the same meaning in some cases. What do you think?
The 'comma' version makes the subordinate clause parenthetical, not very important. It's like 'Oh, by the way, here's a little bit more information'..
The 'no comma' version shows the reader that the subordinate information is important.

eg
Person A: This class is only for English-speaking students. Can John attend?
Person B: Yes, he is a student who speaks English.

I've tried to answer this without using the grammar terms defining / non-defining.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Well, I am totally with you, but can you see any meaning difference between

"I met a tall and smart guy yesterday" and "I met a guy yesterday, and he was tall and smart."

In the end, the guy is smart and tall, but according to your reply, I can see some difference. What do you think?

Thank you so much.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

There's not a lot of difference.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you, so coming to a conclusion, although there is some difference of importance between them, sometimes we do not have to tell the difference too much, right?

You said there is "some difference" and again said "not a lot of difference"

Thank you as usual.

Please help me out.

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions