Last Minute Tips to Fine-tune your Essay

 

As our Spring term is winding down here, the Writing Center is seeing a flurry of students coming in who are putting the final touches on their essays. Below we’ve shared some tips and tricks to get your paper ready to turn in.  

MLA Formatting

Include 1” margins on all sides.

Double-space all lines (no extra spaces between header and title and title and text)

Center title. Do not bold, italicize, or enlarge font.

Single space after periods or other end punctuation (unless directed otherwise).

Tab all indents; spacing 5 times does not give enough of an indent.

Insert paginated right header, which is your last name only, followed by a space, then the page number. Your instructor may ask that you remove this from the first page, as you’ll have your left header here.

Works Cited should be numbered consecutively after the last page of essay.

Insert 4-line left header on first page only.

Block quotes should be indented one inch with no quotation marks.

All other direct quotes should have quotation marks and in-text citation, followed by period (note period DOES NOT come before citation.

Sources

All outside research/sources should be followed with an in-text citation, whether they are a direct quote, paraphrase, or summary.

Direct quotes should have attributive or author tags.

If a source doesn’t have an author, give the title or website.

The in-text citation should match the FIRST WORD the source is listed under on the Works Cited page.

Avoid giving dictionary definitions of a word as an “outside source.” That’s not research.

Always use italics when referring to a book or website; use quotation marks for small works (article or short story) in a larger work (book or newspaper).

Works Cited

The title, Works Cited, should be centered at the top of the final page. Do not bold, italicize or enlarge font.

Works Cited should also be double spaced. NO EXTRA SPACES BETWEEN ENTRIES.

Works Cited should be alphabetized by author’s last name. If no author, alphabetize by the title or website. See Purdue Owl for other listings.

Each entry should have a hanging indent (the opposite of a regular line indent).

Include URL only if instructor requires it, or if the source cannot be found without it.

When using electronic sources, always include the date you accessed the source.

 

Other Tips

In Microsoft WORD, the default for paragraphs is set to insert an extra line space when you hit ENTER to move to a new paragraph. You must reset this to avoid triple-spacing the header, paragraphs, and Works Cited entries. To do this, go to the PARAGRAPH tab on the toolbar, clicking on the icon that has up and down arrows with five lines, just to the right of the 4 justification icons. Click the arrow on the right to open the tab, and scroll down to the bottom line that says “Add Space After Paragraph”; click this so that it says “Remove Space After Paragraph.” If you have already completed your essay and have triple spaces, highlight the entire text, follow these steps, and it should remove the extra lines.

This is only an abbreviated list of editing steps to take to make your essay a perfect as it can be. Hopefully, you’ve read your essay over carefully and had a peer read it as well. And don’t trust Spellcheck. Once you’ve done all you can do, turn it in and let it go. If you’ve followed your instructor’s guidelines and instruction and edited carefully, you should feel confident you’ve done your best work.

 

Visit our blog this summer for re-posts of popular past articles and guest posts.

Have a great summer!

 

 

 

 

Integrating Direct Quotations into your Research Paper

When writing academic research papers, it is important to find reliable sources to support your argument. Sometimes, however, once you find the best sources to use, integrating them effectively to make the most of them becomes a challenge.

Research papers require you to not only “research,” but to synthesize or blend together your own words and ideas with those of other people. You don’t want to go to all the work of finding awesome sources, only to have the quotes fall flat once they are incorporated into the paper. You need to maintain a coherent flow, meaning your paper should read, once outside source material is incorporated, as a unified piece of writing. Unfortunately it’s quite common for a paper to go from a focused piece of writing to a jumble of competing voices.

The Three-Step Model

It’s not enough simply to find a good source; the real work comes as you incorporate it into your paragraph. With quotations, it’s not enough just to insert the quote inside the research. One easy-to-remember and popular technique is the 3-step model of integration, described below. By following these three easy steps, your research will flow smoothly and appear seamless. The three steps will ask you to

1.    Introduce the quote.
2.    Present the quote.
3.    Comment on or analyze the quote’s significance.

Step 1: Introduce the Quote

Introducing the quote can be challenging. Quotations must be taken from their original context and smoothly integrated into their new textual surroundings, and the first step is to introduce the source. Sticking a quote in your paper without telling your audience who is speaking is like asking someone out without introducing yourself; most likely you’ll be turned down. Begin integrating a quote by introducing the source’s full name:

Dr. Robin Write, author of, The Doritos Diet, states, “QUOTE” (page #).

Notice that the example above introduces the source, gives a brief bit of info on the source, then offers the quote – all within the same sentence.

EVERY QUOTATION MUST HAVE YOUR WORDS IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

For example, it would be incorrect to integrate the source without introducing the author, as in the example below:

“The Doritos Diet will help you lose ten pounds in ten days.”

You want to know the person who made this claim, right? This is referred to as a dangling or hanging quote. It is hanging without other support, creating a disconnection between the quote and the rest of the paragraph. It is, in essence, “stuck in,” the middle of a paragraph and creates a lack of cohesion.

As you write your paper, you’ll also want to vary the way you introduce the sources. It would become tedious to read “Dr. X states . . .” every time you incorporate a quote. Utilize different language and word order, as in the examples below:

In his article _______, Dr. Write suggests that “_________.”

Dr. Write agrees, when he says, “_________.”

Notice in the former example, the word “that” is not followed by a comma, as it isn’t necessary because “that” integrates the quotation with the main clause of the sentence (instead of creating an independent and dependent clause).

Other verbs that can introduce quotations include

Believes                  Argues                       Thinks
Adds                         Compares                Reasons
Suggests                 Asserts                      Insists
Empathizes          Denies                       Questions
Submits                  Observes                  Notes

Below are three examples of the same quote, integrated differently. Note the first example is introduced with an independent clause, which requires the use of a colon. Any other introduction requires a comma, or no punctuation:

Shelley held a bold view: “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World” (794).

Shelley thought poets “the unacknowledged legislators of the World” (794).

 “Poets,” according to Shelley, “are the unacknowledged legislators of the World” (794).
(from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers)

Step 2. Present the Quote

Obviously, you have to present the quote, but don’t get ahead of yourself; it’s too easy to make a mistake in this step. Make sure you have transcribed the quote correctly. Changes should never be made of direct quotes; the accuracy of direct quotes is extremely important, including capitalization and punctuation.

Sometimes you may find the quote might be unclear without inserting more information. For instance, you might need to insert a pronoun to clarify a name:

According to Maher, “She [Austin] believes a woman’s place is in the home.”

The use of square brackets indicates the name “Austin” is the writer’s addition and not part of the original quote. Without the name, the pronoun “she” would leave a question in the reader’s minds who she is.

It’s also quite common, especially in the internet era, to find misspellings in research. But the rule holds that you must not change even the misspellings of direct quotes, so to identify you know a word is spelled incorrectly, insert in square brackets the word [sic], in italics, as in the example below:

Shaw admitted, “Nothing can extinguish my interest in Shakespear” [sic].

Sic, Latin for “thus,” or “so,” indicates the quote is as originally written, and not your error.

Step 3: Comment on Quote

Commenting on quotes is often the most overlooked step in the integration process. All quotations need explanation to completely integrate them. Think of your quotes as needing a hug; they need arms to wrap around them to make them feel loved. On the front side, they have their author tag “arm,” and on the back side, they need their comment or analysis “arm” to complete their hug.

Below is an example from A Student Guide to Writing at UCI. First, you’ll notice the author tag where the source is introduced, followed by the direct quote. The remainder of the paragraph, the research quoted is commented on and analyzed by the writer:

With reference to a study by the U.S. Labor Department, William A. Henry reports that “about 20% of all college graduates toil in fields not requiring a  degree” (353). Henry cites this statistic to reinforce his argument that a college degree is less valuable today than some might think. In presenting this information, however, he fails to make his case convincing because, aside from the fact that 20% is a relatively low percentage, he relies on a false assumption, namely that the value of a college education depends upon whether or not graduates apply their degree toward their occupation.

Some other useful ways to incorporate comments are shown below:

In other words, X asserts __________. 

In arguing this claim, X argues that __________. 

X is insisting that _________. 

What X really means is that ____________.

The basis of X’s argument is that ___________.
(from Purdue Owl Online).

Some instructors teach to never begin or end a paragraph with a quote. If a paragraph ends with a direct quote, the writer has obviously failed to comment on the research.

Final Thoughts

Integrating outside research is challenging, but following a simple plan will help you incorporate quotations so they fit seamlessly in your paper. Remember that quoting should be done only sparingly, and the majority of the paper should be in your own words. Instructors often require students to write a draft of their argument before they begin the research phase, therefore minimizing the risk for competing outside voices taking over the paper. However you choose to incorporate your research, remember the most important voice is your own.

For more help on integrating source material, visit
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/930/10/

To Air is Humane: And Other Common – and Uncommon- Usage Errors

 

 

Not a semester goes by that a student defiantly misuses the word already.

Wait – are you sure I didn’t mean, “Not a semester goes by that a student definitely misuses the word all ready”?

Which one is correct? How do you know for sure?

Definitely and defiantly are two of the most misused words in student papers. To clarify, definitely means “for sure,” or “having distinct limits,” while defiantly means “bold, resistant or challenging.”  Why would anyone confuse these two words with such different meanings? Because if a writer misspells definitely, which is not hard to do, most likely a computer’s spell check will think the writer wants to spell defiantly, and change it for you. The two words look so similar that you most likely won’t catch it in a quick read through – assuming you don’t rely on spell check, and read through your final paper before you turn it in.

You don’t rely solely on spell-check, right?

I suppose a person could misuse a word defiantly – or with a bad attitude – but most likely he or she wasn’t doing it out of spite, but just made an honest mistake.

Below you’ll find a few other common usage errors. Which ones have you made?

Already or All ready

Although these two words sound the same, they each have distinctly different meanings.

All ready, two words, means you are prepared, ready to go.

Ex: Dinner was all ready when the guests arrived.

Ex. John is ready. Jane is ready. The kids are ready. Are you all ready?

Hint: If you can substitute “ready” in place of all ready, then it is used correctly.
Ex. Dinner was ready when the guest arrived.

Already, one word with one “L,” is an adverb related to time, meaning “prior to a specified time.”

Ex: The turkey was already burned when the guests arrived.

Ex. The kids were already in bed when I got home.

Desperate or Disparate 

These two words don’t really sound alike, but are commonly confused.

Desperate (the stress on the first syllable) means to have lost hope, or to be anxious or frantic.

Ex. I am desperate to get home for the holidays.

Ex. I’m failing algebra; I’m desperate for help!

Disparate (stress on the second syllable)  means dissimilar, or unequal.

Ex. Those two have very disparate political views.

Ex. However disparate our opinions are, we can still be friends.

Advise or Advice 

One is a noun, and one is a verb. Do you know which is which?

Advice is a noun, meaning a recommendation or suggestion.

Ex. Advice is better to give then to receive.

Ex. My dad always gave me the best advice.

Advise is a verb meaning to give advice, or a recommendation or suggestion (note the “s” is pronounced  as a “z”). Advise can also mean a notification.

Ex. I would advise you not to eat the fire-eating dragon salsa.

Ex. Can you advise me on which stock to invest in?

Foreword or Forward

Forward is an adjective with several different meanings.

One meaning is “in the front”:

Ex. She is sitting forward in the plane.

Another meaning of forward is to be brash:

Ex. Jason! It’s rude to be so forward!

Forward can also mean a movement toward a position:

Ex. The Raiders are moving the ball forward down the field.

Foreword, on the other hand, is a noun, meaning the part of a book where prefatory comments are made. It’s also called the introduction or preface of a book.

Ex. The editor makes some good points in the foreword about the author’s life, so be sure to read it.

Ex. I quoted the foreword of the book on my Works Cited, so I hope I cited it correctly.

Mute or Moot 

I actually heard “mute” misused for “moot” in conversation recently.  The speaker said, “It was a mute point.” However, this usage is incorrect. He should have said, “It was a moot point.”

Mute means unable to speak, or remaining silent.

Ex. She was mute when the teacher asked her a question.

Moot actually has several different meanings, and can be used as a noun, a verb, and an adjective, which is how it is used in the example above (moot point).

Moot used as a noun refers to a deliberative assembly primarily for the administration of justice.

Ex. The verb, moot, derives from the noun, moot, a hypothetical case argued as an exercise by law students.

The verb meaning of moot means to bring up for discussion or to debate.

Ex. The issue of whether a person’s nature or upbringing is more important continues to be mooted by experts and nonprofessionals alike.

Moot used as an adjective means disputed or debatable.

Ex. The court ruled that the issue is now moot because the people involved in the dispute have died.

Ex. I think they were wrong, but the point is moot. Their decision has been made and it can’t be changed now.

Note: the usage and common meaning of “moot” has changed over the centuries, transforming into its most common usage today as an adjective.

Air, Err, or Heir 

These three radically different words all sound alike (called homophones), which is the cause of confusion.

The most common use of the word air refers to the atmosphere, or what we breathe. If you’re a football fan, you may have also heard the word used as a verb.

Ex. The air is a bit muggy today.

Ex. Trailing by 20 points, the team took to the air (noun).

Ex. The quarterback aired it out down the field (verb).

But air can also refer to an outward appearance:

Ex. The home has an air of luxury.

Ex. He has an air of mystery.

Err is a verb, which means to make a mistake:

Ex. I have erred in my calculations.

Ex. To err is human, to forgive divine.

Our third homophone, heir, is a noun, meaning one who inherits property:

Ex. He is the heir of the Wal-Mart fortune.

Ex. The king left no heirs when he died.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it’s quite easy to confuse these and other similar types of words. The only way to catch the error is to know the definition. Relying on spell check won’t help, as it often corrects misspellings incorrectly, and if you’ve spelled the wrong word right, the computer isn’t smart enough to tell you to fix it. If you’re not sure, check your dictionary or thesaurus, every writer’s best friends.

Who That? Rules of Usage (and other myths)

When referring to a person in writing, most of us were taught to use “who,” as in She was the girl who wore the red dress. In this sentence, who is referring to a person, she. So you would not use “that” to reference a person, as in, She was the girl that wore the red dress. Makes sense, right?

However, the rule gets more complicated when referring to a class or group of people. Which of the following sentences is correct?

1. Men who buy sports cars receive more speeding tickets.
   OR
2. Men that buy sports cars receive more speeding tickets.

If you guessed #1 you would be correct.
But if you guessed #2, you would also be correct.

According to any number of style guides, it is perfectly acceptable to use that when referring to a group or class of people. The use of “who” is, as the English language goes, a relatively recent occurrence. The Grammar Girl, my personal hero, says that Chaucer and Shakespeare used “that” to refer to people, and the “who” rule didn’t creep into our sometimes mythical rules until the early 1900s.

Note, however, that in the previous example, “Men” refers to a class of people, an indeterminate, general group of men, not a specific man or men. If it read, The man that drove the sports car received a speeding ticket, it would still be okay, but according to style guides, less common. To be on the safe side, in this instance, refer to the specific man as “who.”

MLA & APA

The reason there might be confusion as to the correct use of “who” or “that” is that our most commonly used style guides, MLA and APA, have conflicting guidelines. MLA says that when referring to general groups of people, both “that” and “who” can be used. In the following examples, either use would be acceptable in MLA:

She is the kind of person who/that is always cheerful.

I would like to find a husband who/that is a good cook.

However, when a specific person is referred to in formal writing, the preferred use is “who”:

The boy who lives next door plays football.

The woman who drives the school bus is a jazz singer.

However, if you are using APA style guide in your writing, APA requires the use of “who” when referring to people. For APA, “that” is only used for nonhumans and things:

She is the kind of person who/that is always cheerful.

I would like to find a husband who/that is a good cook.

The rats that completed the task successfully were rewarded. (Rats = nonhuman.)

Final Thoughts

Through the centuries, the English language has often adapted to common usage, and with the advent of style guides for academic writing, rules were put in place to suit different fields of study and styles of writing. But remember, rules and styles are two different things. What may be a rule in one mode of writing may be different in another. Sometimes, rules are a myth, and sometimes rules are simply a preference or trend. When writing for high school or college, if in doubt, always ask your instructor for their preference. In my book, the person who is grading is always right.

(image from Oxford Dictionary Online)

 

Simple Simon Says: Know Your Sentence Types

Last week on the Underground we discussed the four main sentence types: declarative,
interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. This week we’ll delve into the four categories of those sentence types:

Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-Complex

 

 

 

 

 

 

To understand how to identify these categories, first we’ll need to understand the difference between independent and dependent clauses.

An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, or express a complete thought. It will always have a subject and a verb, as in the examples below:

            S     V 
The snow fell all day long.

           S     V
The dog jumped the fence.

             S          V
The college closed for the summer.

A dependent clause is not a complete sentence, and does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause does, however, contain a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a sentence, as in the examples below:

                            S           V
When the semester was over.

                    S      V
Because she stayed up all night.

               S     V
When they went to the movies.

Simple Sentence

A simple sentence contains one independent clause.

S  V
I eat blueberry muffins.

 S    V
You run fast.

  S     V
She can’t drive.

Compound Sentence

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses. The two clauses are joined by a conjunction (or coordinating conjunction).

 S     V                                       S      V
He cooked dinner, and she cleaned up.

He cooked dinner is a complete thought or sentence, with a subject and verb. She cleaned up is also a complete sentence with a subject and verb. The coordinating conjunction, and joins the two independent clauses together to form a compound sentence. See the examples below. Can you identify the subject and verb?

Winter is almost over, and spring isn’t far behind.

Joe quit his job, but he found a new one.

A Word on Comma Splices

In the previous examples of compound sentences, if you did not have a coordinating conjunction and merely separated the two independent clauses with a comma, you would be creating a comma splice, which is incorrect punctuation (and arguably the most common punctuation error).

Complex Sentence

Complex sentences are a bit more – complex. These sentence types have one (or more) independent clause and one dependent clause. In the examples below, the clauses are labeled. (Reminder: a dependent clause is dependent on an independent clause to complete the sentence.)

                 D                                                                       I
After John couldn’t find a job, he realized he should go back to school.

                     D                                                     I
While away on vacation, the neighbor’s house was burglarized.

                          D                                                                     I
Since Lisa was absent from class, she had to make up the exam on Monday.

Compound-Complex Sentence

A compound-complex sentence has at least one dependent clause, with multiple independent clauses. The two clauses are joined by conjunctions and subordinators (who, because, although, etc.). In the example below, the independent clauses are in green; the conjunction is in red; the subordinator in italics; and the dependent clause is underlined:

Catch-22 is widely regarded as Joseph Heller’s best novel, and because Heller served in World War II, the novel packs an extra punch(modified from Purdue Owl).

 See if you can label the sentence parts in the examples below:

Although I like to go sailing, I haven’t had the time to go lately, and I don’t have a sailboat anymore.

We decided that the movie was too violent, but our children, who like to watch scary movies, think they should be able to see it.

“For in the end, freedom is a personal and lonely battle; and one faces down fears of today so that those of tomorrow might be engaged.” (Alice Walker)

John, who briefly visited last month, won the prize, and he took a short vacation.

 How did you do?

The ability to identify and understand different types of clauses and sentence categories will not only help you punctuate sentences properly, but will also improve your writing style.

Questions? Comments? Need further help?

Visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/

 

 

 

I Declare! Identifying Sentence Structures

I teach creative writing, and was recently reading over a student’s personal essay. He was a strong writer, with a large vocabulary, wonderful use of language, and rarely, if ever, had a sentence level error in his assignments. However, his essays were the most tedious, frustrating, bewildering essays I have ever had to read in my life. On the day of our one-on-one conference, I struggled to communicate the problem. His word choice was perfect, his verb use all action, his imagery poetic. I reinforced everything he was doing right, though I kept coming back to, “but. . .”.

He was confused as I struggled to communicate the problem. I explained I was lost mid-way through a sentence. Entire paragraphs I had to re-read just to comprehend the message. It was absolutely exhausting to read his essays, though I didn’t tell him that. Finally, I found a sentence, one lone sentence, in the middle of his paper that was communicated his message clearly. I paraphrase, but it was something like, “I felt sad she left.” Subject, verb, object. Simple. I circled the sentence. “Use more sentences like this,” I said. “Just be direct. Say what you mean.” He looked confused. “You mean use declarative sentences?”

YES! That was it! It had been so long since I taught sentence types that I had lost the ability to think in sentence types. For native English speakers, sentence types come intuitively; however beginning writers sometimes confuse their message by failing to use the most simple grammatical structures. He was right. He needed more simple, declarative sentences.

Four Main Sentence Types

English has four main sentence types:

•          Declarative
•          Imperative
•          Interrogative
•          Exclamatory

Declarative

A declarative sentence “declares” a fact. It is used to make a simple statement or convey information. Declarative sentences can either be positive or negative.

Examples:

My name is John.
I played the banjo.
Sue did not forget the tickets.
David was not late for class.

Imperative

Imperative sentences request, instruct, or command. When no subject is given, it is implied in an imperative sentence, meaning it is understood to whom the request or command is made.

Examples:

Turn down the music.
Leave the door closed.
Take out the trash.
Finish your dinner.

Interrogative

An interrogative sentence “interrogates,” or asks a question. These types of sentences are always punctuated by a question mark. In the examples below, the questions can only be answered yes or no, so they are known as yes/no interrogatives:

Examples:

Did you forget your lunch?
Am I late?
Did you find a job?
Do these jeans make my butt look big?

Another type of interrogative sentence is called “Alternative” Interrogative. These types of interrogative sentences offer “alternative” responses and can’t be answered by simple yes or no responses:

Which dessert should I order?
How old do you think I look?
Where did I put my glasses?
Who is the actress in that movie?

Exclamatory

The exclamatory sentence is a sentence that is exclaimed, emphasizing excitability or emotion. It is punctuated by an exclamation point.

Examples:

Turn down that music!
I hate you!
You scared me!
Quit pulling my hair!

Be careful not to confuse an exclamatory sentence with an interjection; both are punctuated by an exclamation point, but the interjection is a word, not a complete sentence.

Examples:

Bam! Bam!
Dynomite!
No way!
Yeah!

Note for ESL Learners: Intonation and Shifting Forms

Note that sometimes a declarative sentence can be, depending on your intonation, transformed into a different type:

Examples:

Declarative: Jason is here.
Interrogative: Jason is here?
Exclamatory: Jason is here!

Declarative: She left this morning.
Interrogative: She left this morning?
Exclamatory: She left this morning!

More Sentence Types

These four sentence types, declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory, can be further categorized into

•          Simple
•          Compound
•          Complex
•          Compound-Complex

Next week, we’ll look into these sentence structures. (declarative)
Doesn’t that sound like fun? (interrogative)
Shut up. (imperative)
It is fun! You’ll see! (exclamatory)

 

 

 

 

Are You Appositive?

Using Appositives to Clarify your Writing

 

You might not be familiar with the term “Appositive,” but I guarantee you have used them in your writing. What is an appositive? An appositive is simply a noun or noun phrase (or pronoun) that elaborates on another noun or pronoun, offering further explanation or information.

For instance, look at the following example of a sentence with an appositive:

            N                                             A
Ernest Hemingway, the American novelist, is often referred to as a minimalist writer.

In the previous example, “the American novelist,” is in apposition to the noun, “Ernest Hemingway.” The second noun phrase offers more information to describe the previous noun, in this case, a proper noun.

This type of appositive phrase is called nonrestricted, therefore it is set off with commas. The appositional phrase in this sentence is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.  The phrase “the American novelist,” could be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence. It might be easier to remember that nonrestricted and restricted appositives are sometimes referred to as “essential” and “extra.” Are the words describing the noun essential (restricted) information, or is it “extra” information that you don’t really need, but it’s nice to know? If the information is essential, you don’t use commas; however, if the information is extra, you do use commas to set it off. Extra information = extra commas.

Let’s look at another example.

        N                               A
The teacher, a gray-haired taskmaster, was waiting for the students to be seated.

In this appositive example, “a gray-haired taskmaster” offers further (extra)  information to describe the noun, “the teacher.” Commas are placed around this phrase, as it is extra or nonrestrictive, meaning the appositive could be omitted without changing the intended meaning of the sentence. It’s simply extra information that tells us a little more about the teacher.

Can you pick out the appositive in the example below?

An undergraduate, Karen, raised the question about grammar.

If you said Karen, you are correct! Is Karen’s name essential information, or extra information?

If you said Karen’s name was NOT essential, you’re correct. The sentence was about a student, one of many, who had a question. Leaving out the appositive (Karen) would still convey the same thought: “An undergraduate student raised the question about grammar.

If, however, there were only one student, that would be different. If Karen were the only student, then it would read “Undergraduate Karen raised the question about grammar.”

It would be incorrect to put commas around her name because her name is essential (restricted) identifying information. You could not delete the appositive (Karen) because the sentence would not make sense. You couldn’t say, “Undergraduate raised the question about grammar.”

Appositives are a great way to clarify meaning, but if used incorrectly or with the incorrect punctuation, they can cause more problems. Read the example below, and see if you can pinpoint the problem:

I would like to dedicate this book to my father, the Pope, and my best friend. 

You could read this several ways. First, how many people would the writer like to thank? One? Two? Three? The Pope might be an appositive, but it could be another person. If it is an appositive, then the writer’s father is the Pope, and that (we hope) is not likely.  This can be easily fixed with separating the list with semi-colons:

I would like to dedicate this book to my father; the Pope; and my best friend. 

Now that the items are separated by semi-colons, “the Pope” is NOT an appositive, but simply one of three people the writer dedicates his book to.

Appositives are tricky. Just remember, extra info, extra commas. Below are more examples of appositives http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/appositives.aspx.

Correct sentences

• A vocational counselor, Jane Smith has agreed to help me get a job. Subject: Jane Smith. Appositive: A vocational counselor (extra information; therefore the comma)
• A vocational counselor, Jane Smith, has agreed to help me get a job. Subject: A vocational counselor. Appositive: Jane Smith (extra information; therefore the commas)
• Jane Smith, a vocational counselor, has agreed to help me get a job. Subject: Jane Smith. Appositive: a vocational counselor (extra information; therefore the commas)
• The vocational counselor, Jane Smith, has agreed to help me get a job. Subject: The vocational counselor. Appositive: Jane Smith (extra information; therefore the commas)
• Vocational counselor Jane Smith has agreed to help me get a job. Subject: Jane Smith. Appositive: vocational counselor (essential information; therefore no commas)
• My favorite writer wrote many plays. The writer, William Shakespeare, lived in Elizabethan times. Subject: The writer. Appositive: William Shakespeare (extra information; therefore the commas)
• The writer William Shakespeare wrote many plays. Subject: The writer. Appositive: William Shakespeare (essential information; therefore no commas)
• A fine man, my husband tolerates my grammatical tirades. Subject: My husband. Appositive: A fine man (extra information; therefore the comma)
• My husband, a fine man, tolerates my grammatical tirades. Subject: My husband. Appositive: a fine man (extra information; therefore the commas)