An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that appears in proximity to another noun or noun phrase to define or modify it. When writers employ nonrestrictive appositions, which consist of optional additional information, they sometimes fail to punctuate the sentence correctly to indicate that the phrase is parenthetical, leading to confusion. Here are … Read more
Phrasal adjectives, the sets of words that combine to modify a noun, can be tricky. Usually, words in phrasal adjectives are hyphenated to signal their interrelationship, but there are exceptions, and confusion often arises when phrases resemble but do not constitute phrasal adjectives. In English grammar, the assumption is that two adjacent nouns constitute a … Read more
Here are a few questions about pronouns submitted by readers, along with my responses. 1. This sentence does not sound correct to me, and it was spoken by a high school English teacher: “She wanted my other sister and I to focus on it.” Is it right? Your instinct is spot-on: Remove “my other sister … Read more