Realative clause to Amy (and everybody)

[Van Khanh]

Hi Amy (and everybody)

I'd like to ask you again about this question.

Please read these 2 sentences:

a.I saw my houses which had been destroyed by the storm.
b.I saw my houses, which had been destroyed by the storm.

Some days ago, I wrote (a) and Amy have corrected into (b). I'm surprised that not only Amy but most of English people, when seeing my sentence, have corrected into (b).

For me:

In a: means some houses of mine.
In b: means all of my house.

I think my initial sentence is not strictly ungrammatical. Amy, if you are free, please analyse the situation so that I can see the difference btw them and the reason for that you have changed my sentence.

Thanks
Khanh

[Alan]

Hi Van Khanh,

Please have a look at some material I've written for the site on relative pronouns - particularly on the difference between defining and non-defining relatives.

ESL Lesson: Relative Pronoun
http://www.english-test.net/lessons/21/index.html
ESL Lesson: Relative Pronoun (2)
http://www.english-test.net/lessons/22/index.html
ESL Lesson: Relative Pronoun (3)
http://www.english-test.net/lessons/23/index.html

When you leave out/omit the comma before 'which/who' you are defining/describing the previous noun(s). When you put in/insert the comma before 'which/who' you are not defining/describing the previous noun(s), you are adding extra information.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Communicating with you?

[Yankee]

Hi Khahn

I personally don't like the sentence very much without a comma.
But with the comma, it means "all of my houses". You're right about that.

If you want to indicate that only some of your houses were destroyed, I'd prefer using that instead of which.

- BUT -

You could possibly solve (avoid) the whole clause problem this way:

I saw my storm-ravaged houses.

OR maybe this way:

Select either all or some:
I saw all/some of my storm-ravaged houses.

OR maybe this way:

Select either all or some:
I saw my houses, all/some of which had been destroyed by the storm.


Amy
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Van Khanh]

Ok,

That's clear, thanks.

Khanh