Question

Why do we put commas before names?

For example: This is my brother, Mark.

Answer 1

Comma Indicates pause in punctuation .

Explanation:

Pauses make language more understandable and your message is conveyed in more pretty manner .

Answer 2

When a name follows another noun, it is an appositive. Appositives are preceded by commas.

Explanation:

In the sentence:

This is my brother, Mark.

Mark is an appositive. An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun.

In the sentence, Mark is renaming the noun brother already in the sentence.

The punctuation rule surrounding appositives is that appositives are surrounded by commas. If the appositive is the end of the sentence, the appositive is preceded by a comma and followed by a period.

The sentence could also work in reverse, with brother acting as an appositive to Mark.

This is Mark, my brother.

Another example of a sentence using a name as an appositive is:

My doctor, Dr. Green, is a smart man.

Since Dr. Green is renaming the noun doctor, it is an appositive and is surrounded by commas.