My sister, Mary, is clever.
My sister Mary is clever.
Is there any difference between the sentences?
Thanks
My sister, Mary, is clever.
My sister Mary is clever.
Is there any difference between the sentences?
Thanks
This could mean that you are talking to Mary and Mary is not your sister.
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 Iām 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.
This could mean that you are talking to Mary and Mary is not your sister.
Can it be phrased as āMary, my sister is clever.ā?
Yes, certainly.
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 āin appositionā as below:
Mary, (who is) my sister, is clever.