appositives
An appositive is a noun or a word group functioning as a noun (a noun phrase) that renames another noun or word group.
Cincy Pavelka, a sophomore on the soccer team, was named the most valuable player. [The appositive is a sophomore on the soccer team.]
When an appositive provides information essential to the readers understanding of the sentence, it is restrictive and should not be separated by commas or other punctuation from the noun or word group it refers to. (See restrictive and nonrestrictive elements.)
The sophomore Cincy Pavelka was named the most valuable player. [Without the appositive, Cincy Pavelka, the reader would not be able to understand what the writer intends to convey; contrast "The sophomore was named the most valuable player." Which sophomore?]
An appositive is nonrestrictive when it can be removed without undermining the meaning of the sentence.
His son, Henry, has inherited his curiosity. [This sentence refers to a man with only one son, so the name Henry is additional information but not essential to understanding the writer's meaning: "His son has inherited his curiosity."]
Nonrestrictive appositives are usually set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. For emphasis, however, or for clarity when the appositives contain commas, you may set them off with dashes. A nonrestrictive appositive occurring at the end of a sentence may also be set off with a colon.
The police arrested him on two counts, speeding and driving without a valid license, and took him off to jail.
The police arrested him on three counts speeding, driving without a valid license, and driving under the influence and took him off to jail.
The police arrested him on two counts: speeding and driving without a valid license.
An appositive has the same grammatical function as the noun it refers to. When in doubt about the case of a pronoun in an appositive, you can check it by substituting the pronoun for the noun the appositive refers to.
My boss gave the two of us, Jim and me, the day off. [You would say, "My boss gave me the day off," not "My boss gave I the day off."]
argument
Argumentative writing attempts to convince your reader to adopt your point of view-or at least take it seriously. In an argument the way you present your ideas can be as important as the ideas themselves. An effective argument acknowledges and, if possible, counters conflicting points of view, at all times treating the audience's feelings and opinions with respect. Arguments may include appeals to the reader's emotions and appeals to the writer's credibility (that is, the writer's good will and authority). In college and professional writing, however, arguments rely most heavily on the fair presentation of evidence and appeals to reason, or logic.
When you write an argument, maintain a positive tone and be careful not to wander from your main point, or thesis. Avoid ambiguity and trivial, irrelevant, or extravagant claims. If the reader is likely to be hostile to your thesis, consider deferring your statement of it until you have built up to it carefully with strong, specific points that support it.
