You might already know how important punctuation is in shaping your written language. The placement of punctuation helps to make your sentences more understandable. One such punctuation is the comma.
It is one of the most commonly used punctuations in our written language. However, you can often tend to confuse the use of commas in your sentences. Besides, knowing when to use a comma before the word “which” is one of the most common areas of confusion.
So, in this blog, you’ll learn the use of the comma before “which”. As a result, you’ll be able to increase your written English as well as communication skills.
Understanding Restrictive Clauses
Before we get to the usage of the comma before “which” it is important to understand the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. A restrictive clause is also known as an essential clause. It is named so because the information conveyed through this clause is important to understand the meaning of the sentence.
For example: The car which has a flat tire needs repair.
In this given example, all the details are important to understand the whole sentence. Now, try to remove the phrase- which has a flat tire. The sentence will become- the car needs repair. This sentence does not make sense as it does not indicate what needs to be repaired and in which car. So, any phrase without which the sentence is not able to convey the actual information is a restrictive clause.
Comma before “which” in the restrictive clause
Now you know what a restrictive clause is. Hence, you can identify easily when a sentence consists of an essential clause. Whenever you use a restrictive clause that is introduced by “which”, you can never use a comma before it. It helps the reader to know that the information given in the sentence is important and cannot be left out.
For example, The book which I borrowed from the library is due tomorrow.
In this sentence, you cannot omit any information as it will make the sentence irrelevant. You can try removing the clause that comes after “which”. The sentence will become “The book is due tomorrow”. This statement does not make any sense as it does not tell which book is due tomorrow. Since this information is important in the sentence we have not used any comma while writing it.
Understanding nonrestrictive clause
A nonrestrictive clause is also known as a non-essential clause. As the name suggests, any information conveyed through this clause does not add to the importance of the sentence. Hence, even if you choose to not add this information the sentence will still be meaningful.
For example: My blue car needs repair.
Now in this sentence, you can easily leave out the information -which is blue. After removing this phrase you’ll still be able to make sense of the sentence as it states “My car needs repair.”
Hence, through this sentence, you can tell which car needs repair and it is understandable to the reader. So, the extra information that can be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning is called a nonrestrictive clause.
Usage of comma before “which” in nonrestrictive clause
Whenever “which” gets used before introducing a nonrestrictive clause a comma is put before it. By using a comma you can easily separate the nonessential information from the whole sentence. However, you need to make sure that you also put a comma at the end of the restrictive clause. It helps to identify the extra information in a sentence and can easily be removed from it.
For example: My computer, which I bought last year, is already outdated.
In this example, you can see that one comma gets used before “which” and another after the word “year”. Now all the words between these two commas form a nonrestrictive clause. So, when you remove these words from the sentence it will still be understandable. Hence, a comma should be put before “which” in a nonrestrictive clause.
Using “which” in questions
“Which” is one of the most common interrogative pronouns. Hence, it is used very often to ask questions. However, there is no specific need to add a comma before “which” when asking a question. It is mainly because in direct questions “which” is the first word. So, it is obvious that no commas will come before “which”. Here is an example of a direct question- “Which way are you going?”
Similarly, you do not have to use commas in indirect questions as well. What are indirect questions? The sentences that do not end with a question mark but still talk about a question are known as indirect questions. So, you do not have to add a comma before this when asking an indirect question as well. For example: They are discussing which option is more cost-effective.
Placement of commas before “which” while using it after preposition
You might be familiar with words like “with which, in which, before which” and many more. It is because we use “which” after prepositions very commonly. However, it is important to note that you cannot use a comma between the preposition and “which”. For example, The book in which I found the information is on the shelf.”
On the other hand, if you are using “which” after a preposition in a nonrestrictive clause then a comma is put before the preposition. For example: “The park, in which they often have picnics, is near their house.”
The rules for using commas are almost the same except that the comma will come before the preposition. Also, do note that no comma is used before prepositions in restrictive clauses.
Which vs That
“That” is the perfect replacement for “which” in a restrictive clause. It is often used in US English. So, if you use “that” instead of “which”, you’ll be able to easily distinguish between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. It is also helpful because “that” is never used in a nonrestrictive clause. For example “The car that is parked in front of the house belongs to my neighbors.”
Another important point is that “which” can never be replaced by “that” after a preposition. No matter what kind of clause you are using in your sentence, you cannot use “that” after a preposition. Here’s an example-
- The room in which they store their belongings is locked.
- The room in which they store their belongings is locked
In the above two sentences, you can easily notice that the first one is right and the second one is wrong.
Practical tips for proper comma usage
Here are some steps that you can follow quickly to decide whether you need to put a comma before “which”.
- Firstly, read the whole sentence.
- Now, decide if the information that follows the word “which” is important to understand the sentence or not.
- If the information is essential then you cannot use a comma before “which”. However, if the information is not important then you have to use a comma before “which”.
- When using “which” after a preposition, you need to put a comma before the preposition in a nonrestrictive clause.
Conclusion
To make your communication more effective you need to master the use of the comma before “which”. You can do it easily by understanding the difference between essential and nonessential clauses. Moreover, the correct placement of commas will also help you to convey your meaning more clearly. So, by using a comma correctly, you can make a huge difference in your writing and make it more fluent.
