Honors Weekly Assignment: Appositive Errors

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

My boss John Jacobs was early that morning, so I got in trouble for being late.

• My boss, John Jacobs, was early that morning, 

• NO CHANGE

• My boss, John Jacobs was early that morning,

• My Boss John Jacobs was early that morning, 

• My boss John Jacobs, was early that morning

Answer explanation

In this sentence, "John Jacobs" is an appositive renaming the noun phrase "My boss" in more detail. As such, John Jacobs needs to be bracketed in commas because it is extraneous information not necessary to the reader's understanding of the sentence's meaning.

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Jackson stayed after class to help Ms. Thomas clean the room, feeling guilty for having caused the mess.

• Jackson, feeling guilty for having caused the mess, stayed after class to help Ms. Thomas clean the room.

• Jackson stayed after class to help Ms. Thomas clean the room; feeling guilty for helping to cause the mess.

• Jackson stayed after class to help Ms. Thomas clean the room: feeling guilty for helping to cause the mess.

• NO CHANGE

Answer explanation

Appositives modify the noun directly before them. With this structure, it is saying that the room feels guilty for helping to cause the mess even though the appositive is talking about Jackson.

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Growing up, I used to find math very tedious. I abhorred algebra, couldn't stand geometry, and was just hating trigonometry. I was sure calculus would be no different. That was until I met, my calculus teacher, Ms. Sweed. Calculus being the subject she taught, she used it to show me how math makes our world go around. 

• That was until I met my, calculus teacher, Ms. Sweed.

• That was until I met my calculus teacher Ms. Sweed.

• NO CHANGE

• That was until I met, my calculus teacher Ms. Sweed.

• That was, until I met, my calculus teacher Ms. Sweed.

Answer explanation

Two commas used in the way they are in the original sentence usually set off an appositive; however, the phrase my calculus teacher is NOT an appositive in this case because it is crucial to the meaning of the sentence. This is also known as a close appositive.

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

An eager young student who was ready to learn, Jack taught his grandson chess every day after school.

• An eager young student who was ready to learn, Jack taught his grandson chess every day after school.

• Jack, an eager young student who was ready to learn, taught his grandson chess every day after school.

• An eager young student who was ready to learn every day after school, Jack taught his grandson chess.

• Jack taught chess every day after school to his grandson, an eager young student who was ready to learn.

• NO CHANGE

Answer explanation

The phrase "an eager young student who was ready to learn" in this sentence is called an appositive, which is a noun or noun phrase that describes or renames another noun right next to it in the sentence. The appositive can be directly before or after the noun it describes, but it must be adjacent. In this case, it is clear that the appositive refers to the grandson rather than Jack: if Jack is old enough to be a grandfather, he is not a young student, and since he is teaching his grandson chess, it would not make sense to describe him as "eager to learn." Therefore, the appositive should be moved next to the grandson in order to clarify the description.

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

Laura owned two horses a brown mare and a paint pony who lived in her backyard.

• horses. A brown mare and a paint pony. who

• horses, a brown mare and a paint pony, who

• horses. A brown mare and a paint pony, who

• NO CHANGE

• horses a brown mare and a paint pony, who

Answer explanation

This question asks you about the correct punctuation to use with an appositive phrase. An appositive phrase is a noun phrase that describes the noun right before it. In this sentence, the phrase "a brown mare and a paint pony" describes the noun "horses." An appositive phrase should be surrounded by commas. Without commas, the sentence becomes a run-on sentence. The use of periods rather than commas creates a sentence fragment.

Choose the answer that best corrects the bold and underline portion of the text.

The great German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach was a member of a prodigiously talented musical family.

• The great German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach was a member of a prodigiously, talented musical family.

• The great, German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach was a member of a prodigiously talented musical family.

• The great German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach had been a member of a prodigiously talented musical family.

• The great German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, was a member of a prodigiously talented musical family.

• NO CHANGE

Answer explanation

In this sentence, "Johann Sebastian Bach" stands in apposition to "the great German composer"—they both refer to the same person. Therefore, you must surround Johan Sebastian Bach with commas. This helps the reader to realize that the two nouns are the very same person. You can always detect an apposition by taking out the potential candidate for apposition. If you remove Johann Sebastian Bach, the sentence still reads well enough (although with less specificity about the subject). 

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, select “NO CHANGE.”

The cat, a gray tabby, jumped up on the kitchen table.

• The cat: a gray tabby, jumped up on the kitchen table.

• The cat; a gray tabby; jumped up on the kitchen table.

• The cat was a gray tabby, and jumped up on the kitchen table.

• The cat, a gray tabby jumped up on the kitchen table.

• NO CHANGE

Answer explanation

This question asks you about the correct punctuation to use with an appositive phrase. An appositive phrase is a phrase that describes the noun beside it: in this case, the phrase a gray tabby describes the noun the cat. An appositive phrase should always be surrounded by commas on either side when it follows the noun. Therefore, the original sentence is correct as written.

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, select “NO CHANGE.”

Fashion, that ever-changing entity has thrown us some curveballs in the last year.

• Fashion, that every-changing entity. It has thrown us some curveballs

• NO CHANGE

• Fashion, that every changing entity; it has thrown us some curveballs

• Fashion, that ever-changing entity, has thrown us some curveballs

• Fashion that ever-changing entity, has thrown us some curveballs

Answer explanation

This questions asks about the best punctuation to use with an appositive phrase. An appositive phrase is a noun phrase that describes a noun preceding it. In this case, the appositive phrase that ever-changing entity describes the noun, fashion. An appositive phrase should always be surrounded on either side by commas. Without both commas, the sentence becomes a run-on sentence. It is not correct to use a period or semicolon here, because the phrase Fashion, that ever-changing entity contains no verb and therefore is not a complete sentence.

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

A small, excitable creature with unbridled love for humans, the puppy's fur was soft and required careful care by the owner.

• A small, excitable creature with unbridled love for humans, the puppy had soft fur that required careful care by the owner.

• A small, excitable creature with unbridled love for humans, and the puppy's fur was soft and required careful care by the owner.

• A small, excitable creature, with unbridled love for humans, the puppy's fur was soft and required careful care by the owner.

• NO CHANGE.

• A small, excitable creature with unbridled love for humans the puppy's fur was soft and required careful care by the owner.

Answer explanation

This sentence, as written, has a modifier issue. The first part of the sentence is the modifier, but the subject of the second part is "the puppy's fur," which cannot be "a small, excitable creature..." This modifier modifies the subject of the following clause, so the subject of that clause must match the preceding modifier. "the puppy" itself should therefore be the subject. The puppy has "fur" but that fur is not, in and of itself, "a small, excitable creature."

Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."

This is what the CEO of Tiny i Appetizers William Montegue had to say to his investors.

• This is what William Montegue, CEO of Tiny i Appetizers, had to say to his investors.

• This is what the CEO of William Montegue and Tiny i Apps had to say to his investors.

• This is what CEO of William Montegue's Tiny i Apps had to say to his investors.

• NO CHANGE

• This is what CEO William Montegue's Tiny i Apps had to say to his investors.

Answer explanation

The descriptive information in the original sentence is best set off as an appositive describing the agent of action, namely William Montegue. Placing his title, etc., between commas as an appositive allows for greater clarity. Appositives are words or phrases (often proper nouns) that modify or rename the subject of a sentence.