Hello,
Would you write
The steamship Titanic hit an iceberg.
Or
The steamship, Titanic, hit an iceberg.
Or is either acceptable?
Thanks
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Hi, Midge,
@Midge posted:
The steamship Titanic hit an iceberg.
Or
The steamship, Titanic, hit an iceberg.
Only the first one, which is a restrictive appositive, is correct: the proper name "Titanic" defines the steamship being referred to.
Alternatively, you can use a non-restrictive apposition with commas where the common noun merely provides extra information about the proper name, but in that case the order will be different:
- Titanic, the steamship, hit an iceberg.
Thanks, that makes sense now.
I agree with Gustavo's answer. I'd just like to add that it is conventional to italicize ship names, just as we italicize book titles:
- The steamship Titanic hit an iceberg.
- Titanic, the steamship, hit an iceberg.