man 2 write - clarification

[Daniel Baluta]

On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 1:31 PM, Soren Hansen <soren at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 12:48:24PM +0200, Daniel Baluta wrote:
>> The following phrase taken from man 2 write manual page is confusing:
>> POSIX  requires that a read(2) which can be proved to occur after a
>> write() has returned returns the new data.
>>
>> I think you should you some comas to make a clear statement.
>> POSIX  requires that a read(2), which can be proved to occur after a
>> write() has returned, returns the new data.  thanks, Daniel.
>
> You may find it clearer to read that way, but I believe it would
> incorrect. A comma before a which clause suggests that it does not
> /define/ the element to which it refers, but merely /describes/ it. In
> this case the which clause adds essential, defining information about
> the read(2) call, so I believe adding the comma would be wrong.
>
> I should note that I'm not a native English speaker, nor have I studied
> English grammar for well over 10 years. The Intarweb[1] does seem to
> support my argument, though.
>
> [1]: A search for "comma before which" yields a lot of promosing
>     references. http://wire.rutgers.edu/p_grammar_comma2.html for one
>     looks credible to me.

Comma was just a suggestion. I'm not a native english speaker but I don't
find the actual description very clear.

Any suggestions from native speakers are welcomed.

thanks,
Daniel.