How do you punctuate appositive phrases?

[theemdash]

This question came to us with a specific example, wondering about the correct punctuation in this sentence: The eleven-inch wand, the one made of ash[,] shot out a stream of sparks.

Let's start by identifying "the one made of ash" as an appositive phrase. Our Grammar 101: Prepositions & Phrases article defines an appositive as "a noun or pronoun

Comments

[lmichelle599]

Thanks. I like the emdashes better. :)

[theemdash]

I do love em dashes, but one of the nice things about commas is that they are basically invisible. So if I don't need to call attention to a detail, sometimes a comma is better because it doesn't distract the reader. Because an em dash draws the readers' attention, they can be used effectively for impact-or to help someone remember something 12 chapters later.

Out of context, I think it's difficult to punctuate the queried sentence. If the sentences surrounding the queried example were talking about other wands of various lengths and makes, I might use em dashes to call attention to specifically which wand I meant.

[rosaxx50]

I love these entries. I must admit, I'm partial to the dashes myself and would probably end up using them instead of commas in the example.

[theemdash]

I would be more inclined to use dashes when there's a long phrase, rather than a few words, or if I'm trying to call attention to the appositive. If the sentences surrounding the queried example were talking about other wands of various lengths and makes, I might use em dashes to call attention to specifically which wand I meant. But if it was just being used to give additional detail, I'd use the commas to not call quite as much attention to it.

(And I am obviously quite partial to em dashes in general.)

[thistle_chaser]

I love this community so much! Even for things I already know, like this post, I still love reading the information! It's always laid out so well and interesting to read, and having things reinforced never hurts.

Thanks!

[theemdash]

Thank you for commenting! We do love hearing back from readers. ♥

[dark_weezing]

Very useful. Thank you very much.

For the record, I do like the EM dash, but I try to use it sparingly in my writing. Whereas, in IM or convos with people, that's a different kettle of fish.

[theemdash]

I very much agree. It's a special kind of punctuation that gets more impact when used sparingly.