Fashionably late.

Sorry for the tardiness, again. As this is the last go round, I can say with 100% confidence that it won't happen again. This is from the opening to a paper on Coleridge, which I think is much better with appositives.

Original:
Samuel Taylor Coleridge died on July 25th, 1834, and was interred in a family vault at London's Highgate cemetery. This cemetery features other literary and philosophical superstars such as George Eliot and Karl Marx. Coleridge's remains were kept in this company until the 6th of June, 1961, when they were transferred into the crypt of the nearby Parish Church of St Michael’s.

Now containing appositive-y goodness:
Following hus death on July 25th, 1834, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was interred in a family vault at the Highgate cemetery in London--a cemetery that in the following half-century would see the addition of such other notable figures as George Eliot and Karl Marx. This eclectic triumvirate of entombed literary and philosophical superstars was broken up on the 6th of June, 1961, when Coleridge’s remains were transferred into the crypt of the nearby Parish Church of St Michael’s.

Oops. I forgot, too.

BEFORE: The period spanning the Victorian Era and the early part of the Jazz Age was brief in historic terms: roughly eighty years. These decades represent, however, an epic shift in women’s self-perception: from that of passive dependents who responded and adapted to events in life, to strong beings who seized opportunities and set events into motion. Considering that America is a “self-made” country, it is fitting that this shift to a more “Self-Made” Woman took place on American soil, with inspiration coming from vastly different women: as different as Irish domestic workers and upper middle-class “New Women.” …

The first sentence shows the proper use of a colon in following a complete sentence. Considering that I use three colons in this paragraph, however, the first sentence begs for revision. This sentence also contains a pronoun modifier that is modified with an –ly adverb. I’ve used these modifiers properly—without a hyphen—but the sentence is clumsy. The second sentence also poses a problem by containing nine prepositional phrases that obscure the focus of the paragraph. Kolln suggests turning some of these prepositional phrases into pronoun modifiers or more precise words.

AFTER: Women’s self-perception dramatically shifted during the period spanning the Victorian Era and the early part of the Jazz Age. During this time, passive and reactive women embraced opportunities for self-motivated action. These “Self-Made” Women were as diverse as the American melting pot: as different as Irish domestic workers and upper middle-class “New Women.” …

For my blog today, I'm playing with the movable participle. Here are some changes:

OLD
Researchers have studied ballads and haint tales, poetry and belief statements to find conventions and trends which lead to better understandings of Appalachian culture.

NEW
Through studying haint tales and belief statements, researchers have developed better understandings of Appalachian culture.

OLD
The ways such narratives take shape in Appalachia is as diverse as its geography and its people.

NEW
Shaping Appalachia are its narratives, which are as diverse as its geography and its people.

I'm playing particular attention to how the NEW sentences change the focus/attention of the line. Although they seem less natural (maybe because they are new to me, or maybe because they defy traditional structure), moving the participle does seem to allow you to re-focus your reader's attention.