Once upon a time there was a woman, about 30 years old, married with two children. Like many people, she had grown up in a home where she was constantly criticized and often treated unfairly by her parents.
Should there be a comma after “home”?
Thanks.
The key here is whether you think “where she was constantly criticized and often treated unfairly by her parents.” is critical to the meaning of the sentence or extraneous information that is not really needed.
Here, “Like many people, she had grown up in a home.” does not really make sense in the context of the paragraph. The main point is actually the next clause. So since the clause is necessary, we do not offset it with commas.
Contrast this with “I grew up on the coast of Massachusetts, where we ate lobster every day for lunch and chowder every night for supper.” Here the main point is where I grew up, the clause just gives some extra information, so it is set off with a comma.
Since the clause that follows tells the reader (defines) what type of home she had been grown up in, the comma is not necessary as it would alter the meaning. It is a restrictive or defining clause, which does not need commas in my opinion.