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I have a question about this sentence:

  • The guy who is my brother is playing the piano.

Is it okay to remove "who is" and turn it into this?

  • The guy my brother is playing the piano.

I wanna make sure when the relative pronoun and beV are together, is it okay to remove them under any of circumstances except for being behind a comma?

Thanks!

Edwin Ashworth
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user403214
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  • Even your first example sentence seems ungrammatical. What would the context be? I can't think of a context in which anyone would say that sentence, containing both phrases "The guy" and "my brother". What's more likely to happen is: A: Who's that guy playing the piano? B: My brother. Or, if there are many musicians and A knew that one of them is B's brother but didn't know which: A: Which is your brother? B: The guy playing the piano. – Rosie F Nov 07 '20 at 08:33
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    But why would you say that? Obviously your brother is 'a guy', so surely it would be more natural just to say "My brother is playing the piano"? – Kate Bunting Nov 07 '20 at 08:36
  • As a comment on the non-idiomatic example, "guy" should be avoided in BE: It sounds outdated and can be annoying as a form of direct address as it implies too much familiarity. – Greybeard Nov 07 '20 at 10:12

2 Answers2

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No, you can't always remove WHIZ - your second sentence is barely grammatical for me: I can only read it as my brother in apposition, normally preceded by a comma.

You can drop the WHIZ before a participle (present or past), or a prepositional phrase, but not normally anything else. See https://www.grammarwiz.com/reduced-relative-clauses.html

Colin Fine
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The given sentence means that out of a group of guys, the one who's your brother is playing the piano. [Restrictive clause]

If you set off the who clause with commas, you'll merely be providing extra information (that he is your brother) about the guy playing the piano. [Nonrestrictive Clause]

If this doesn't make it clear, consider these sentences:

My brother who is a doctor lives in Grenada. [Restrictive Clause]

My brother, who is a doctor, lives in Grenada. [Nonrestrictive Clause]

The first sentence means that you have many brothers and you are identifying a particular one among them.

The second sentence means that you have only one brother and you are merely providing additional information about him. The part set off with commas can be removed without affecting the meaning of the sentence.

  • Hi thanks! so is this sentence correct: "The guy my brother is playing the piano"? – user403214 Nov 07 '20 at 05:39
  • Is is necessary to put comma? or it's correct even without a comma? Secondly, if i make it a nonrestrictive clause, I thought the relative pronoun can't be removed? Thank you in advance!! – user403214 Nov 07 '20 at 06:11
  • It's advisable to set off with commas a phrase that stands in apposition to the subject. Milton, the poet, wrote Paradise Lost. Likewise for your sentence. –  Nov 07 '20 at 07:42
  • @user403214 "The guy my brother is playing the piano" may be grammatically correct with or without commas (althought the meanings are slightly different). However referring to your brother as "the guy" in this way is very odd because 'the guy', is a way of referring to someone unknown. As BillJ said in a comment on your question "The guy playing the piano is my brother" is perfectly normal since you are saying that the pianist, who is unknown to the person to whom you are speaking, is your brother. That is you are giving the listener more information about the unknown person. – BoldBen Nov 07 '20 at 11:15
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    This "answer" doesn't actually address the question. – Peter Shor Nov 07 '20 at 14:02
  • Peter Shor Where do you find the answer inadequate in addressing the question? –  Nov 07 '20 at 14:12
  • Is the guy my brother is playing the piano grammatical or ungrammatical? Your answer simply addresses when you need a comma in the guy who is my brother is playing the piano. I think the OP already knows everything contained in your answer. – Peter Shor Nov 07 '20 at 14:17
  • That question has been dealt with in the comments section. BTW, as per you, is it ok to use a restrictive clause in the OP's sentence? –  Nov 07 '20 at 14:25
  • The comments section is not appropriate for answers. – Peter Shor Nov 07 '20 at 17:46