My sister Mary is clever vs My sister, Mary, is clever

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

My sister, Mary, is clever.
My sister Mary is clever.

Is there any difference between the sentences?

Thanks

2 Likes
2

This could mean that you are talking to Mary and Mary is not your sister.

2 Likes
3

They have a slightly different meaning because of the context.

My sister, Mary, is clever. - I have one sister and her name is Mary.
My sister Mary is clever. - I may have other sisters, but here Iā€™m talking about Mary. My other sisters Edith and Sybil may not be clever.

And as @Torsten says, you could be talking to someone named Mary.

2 Likes
4

This could mean that you are talking to Mary and Mary is not your sister.

Can it be phrased as ā€œMary, my sister is clever.ā€?

2 Likes
5

Yes, certainly.

2 Likes
6

My sister, Mary, is clever. - To avoid mistaking the name for an address, the sentence may be rephrased and written as a non-defining phrase or clause ā€˜in appositionā€™ as below:
Mary, (who is) my sister, is clever.

3 Likes