I'm editing a piece for a court transcript, and the sentence reads as follows: "My brother, Tom, and I jotted down the plate number." If I stick to the nonrestrictive-appositive rule, I should have commas around "Tom" because, in this case, the unnamed complainant has only one brother, whose name is Tom. I am referring to two people in that sentence, but as it stands with the commas, it looks like three people are being mentioned. So if I forgo the nonrestrictive-appositive rule and drop the commas, I think I might do this: My brother Tom and I ... . But is that truly correct without the commas considering the fact that there is only one brother? Or should I do this? My brother—Tom—and I jotted down the plate number. I'm not sure whether an em-dash could be used like that. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you.
Your first effort is strictly correct. Your use of - is horrible. Commas are not necessary; rules are relaxed on this.
Thank you, Pinkymcfiddle. I'll just go with My brother Tom and I jotted down the plate number. Thank you for your help and time.
