Relative Pronouns

Question

I was wondering if we could discuss the relative pronouns -- that vs which.

Why & when do we use comma with relative pronouns ?
E.g.
The woman who you have just spoken to is my teacher.
The science fair, which lasted all day, ended with an awards ceremony.
The theater, in which the play debuted, housed 300 people.
The book whose author won a Pulitzer has become a bestseller.

what brings in a comma ?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

SinhmaniWhat brings in a comma?

The comma acts as a set of parentheses. The relative clause is then called non-restrictive (or non-defining), and this kind of clause adds information that is not really essential. For example,

The science fair, which lasted all day, ended with an awards ceremony.
~ The science fair (which lasted all day) ended with an awards ceremony.

This is saying simply

The science fair ended with an awards ceremony (and, by the way, the science fair lasted all day).

In this kind of clause you cannot substitute 'that' for 'which', so it's wrong to write

*The science fair, that lasted all day, ended with an awards ceremony.
___________________

Without a comma you have a restrictive (or defining) clause. This kind of clause helps to specify the referent (what you're talking about) more exactly. For example,

The woman who you have just spoken to is my teacher.

Here, it's not just The woman is my teacher, because if you say that, people will ask, "What do you mean, 'the woman'? What woman are you talking about?" Then you have to specify more exactly which woman you're talking about: "It's the woman who you have just spoken to". (Not any other woman.)

In this kind of clause you may substitute 'that' for 'which' or 'who(m)':

The woman that you have just spoken to is my teacher.

CJ

Sinhmani · Answer

Thank you !

Relative Pronouns

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