Monday, March 31, 2014

, Appositives,

Commas are one of the most difficult grammar concepts to grasp, and one of the most common comma confusions is regarding appositives. "What in the world are appositives?" you may ask. Well, in simple terms an appositive is a noun or noun phrase which renames or redefines a noun right next to it. Let me give you some examples.

Noun: Blue   Appositive: Green

1) My brother Liam lives in California.

See how Liam only renames brother? It doesn't really add extra information about brother.

2) Violet, my purple cat, is the strangest cat in the neighborhood.

Again, Violet only renames cat without adding outside information. 

Did you notice the two commas around the appositive in the second example, and none around the appositive in first example? Sometimes the noun is too general without the appositive, and the meaning of the sentence changes without it.

If I took out Liam in the first example, I will be left with:

1) My brother lives in California.

Which brother? Liam, Jacob, John, Bobby, or Tommy? The sentence is now too general to give the message it gives with the appositive. Therefore, it needs no commas; all the information is essential.

In the second example, taking out the appositive will leave:

2) Violet is the strangest cat in the neighborhood.

This sentence remains specific to the one cat, Violet, even though the reader no longer knows that it is my cat. It gives the same message with and without the appositive. In this case, you need commas on either side of the appositive. 

Lets do a few more examples.

1) The vacation house, a large contemporary villa, was near the beach.

A large contemporary villa just renames the noun house. Again, because the sentence works without the appositive, you must place commas on either side of it.

2) My college begins its new semester in August, the most sweltering month of the year.

In this example, August is being redefined as the most sweltering month of the year. Had the appositive been in the middle of the sentence, it would have needed two commas. However, as it is at the end, the period takes the place of the second comma.

3) The first president of the U.S., George Washington was a general during the Revolutionary War. 

4) The author of The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien was a legendary linguist.

In number three and four, the appositive comes at the beginning of the sentence. Therefore, the same rule applies as example two except the first comma is dropped instead of the second one.


Although appositives may seem like a difficult concept in the beginning, being aware of what they are can help you notice them in your reading. As you become more familiar with appositives, start to incorporate them in your writing. With steady progress, you will soon be a pro!

Monday, March 17, 2014

WHY Must We Take WRI?



“I came to college for a degree in biology …so WHY do I have to take Writing 100?”

Well…why not? I mean, don’t you have anything else to do with your time?

Of course you do. But, as much as you don’t want to hear it, Writing 100 is not just a piece of the liberal arts curriculum necessary for graduation. Writing is a skill that will give you an edge in every aspect of your life—not just to make an intriguing twitter post.

Writing is an essential tool that allows you to learn many crucial skills. It enhances your ability to organize and process information, to be clear and concise, and to fine tune your work.

Yes, you might be able to learn these skills in the lab or in the music studio. But in our increasingly digital universe, faster and more concise communication is necessary: It could make the difference between a job and unemployment.

Don't let writing stand between you and your dream job!
Okay, so that might sound a little far-fetched, but is it really? Would you really want something as simple as writing skills to get in the way of your dream job?

So the next time you complain about trudging through the rain or snow to a dank Blaney basement room, remember that you are learning skills that you can use in real-time, for what matters to you. Whether it’s a cover letter, lab report, marketing pitch, documentary log, or personal statement, writing is equivalent to success.

Don’t let writing get in your way. Stay in Writing 100, learn what you can, and get ready to focus on what’s important to you.


For some more information, check out this list of “What Makes Writing So Important?” from Marquette University: http://www.marquette.edu/wac/WhatMakesWritingSoImportant.shtml


Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Problem with Prewriting








The Problem with Prewriting



  How many times have you heard about the writing process, seen diagrams, listened to professors as they explain the writing stages?  The steps to writing have been drilled into us, but there is a serious problem with the prewriting process; people skip it and start out with the writing stage. 


Prewriting is a crucial element in the development of good writing.  When you are assigned an essay, you should always take time to think about it, plan it, research it, plan some more, and outline your main ideas.  

One of the best ways you can break through the ominous writer's block, which can inhibit the flow of words on your screen, is to brainstorm.

                                
                 You can make a list of random ideas, a flow chart, a diagram, a jumble of sentences with possible connections.  Brainstorming can be twenty minutes of freewriting, it can be the exploration of a topic from various perspectives, it can be a list, pictures, or anything that helps you to get your creative juices flowing.  Once you have some great concepts or ideas, try to connect them, make sense of them, and explore how they can work together.   

                 After you have your topic and some great ideas, you can begin an outline.  From your introduction to your main ideas and conclusion, you should organize your ideas in a way that makes sense and flows.  This will help you to develop your thesis and to create a strong essay that keeps the reader on track.  

                 While there are many other things that should be considered in the development of a great paper, prewriting should come first.