- An appositive phrase is always right next to the noun it describes.
- Appositive phrases can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
- Most times an appositive phrase comes after its noun, but sometimes it comes before.
- An appositive phrase does not have a subject and predicate, therefore, it is not a complete sentence.
How to identify appositive phrase?
There is often a prefix to the name “ap positivity” – often in conjunction with another noun or pronoun. It can either be descriptive or descriptive in connotation. Most appositive phrases follow their identification or explanations, so they may also follow their meanings. Describe An Appositive By Describing How It Works.
What does appositive phrase mean?
Here are some things to remember:
- An appositive phrase is always right next to the noun it describes.
- Appositive phrases can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
- Most times an appositive phrase comes after its noun, but sometimes it comes before.
- An appositive phrase does not have a subject and predicate, therefore, it is not a complete sentence.
What are appositives phrases?
What Are Some Examples of a Nonessential Appositive Phrase?
- A type of noun phrase, an appositive modifies a subject or object in a sentence.
- They served my favorite meal — enchiladas!
- Have you seen Elton John, the legendary singer-songwriter, perform live?
- I attended the University of Central Florida, a state school.
How to use an appositive?
An appositive can be taken out of a sentence and the main sentence can still stand on its own. Use appositives for the sake of clarification with help from a...
What are some examples of an appositive?
For example, The puppy, a golden retriever, is my newest pet. “a golden retriever” is an appositive to “The puppy.” The word appositive is derived from the Latin phrases ad and positio meaning “near” and “placement.”
What does an appositive look like?
An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that sits next to another noun to rename it or to describe it in another way. (The word appositive comes from the Latin for to put near.) Appositives are usually offset with commas, parentheses (round brackets), or dashes.
What do you mean by appositive?
An appositive is a noun that immediately follows and renames another noun in order to clarify or classify it. Appositives are used to reduce wordiness, add detail, and add syntactic variety to a sentence. For example, you can combine two simple sentences to create one sentence that contains an appositive.
What is the rule of appositive?
An appositive noun or noun phrase follows another noun or noun phrase in apposition to it; that is, it provides information that further identifies or defines it. Such “bonus facts” are framed by commas unless the appositive is restrictive (i.e., provides essential information about the noun).
Do Appositives always have commas?
Rule: When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, don't use commas. When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive.
What are the two types of Appositives?
There are two types of appositive phrases: restrictive and nonrestrictive. Nonrestrictive appositive phrases, also referred to as nonessential appositive phrases, apply to information that is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence. These are typically set off by commas.
Can you have two Appositives in a sentence?
As long as we don't overwhelm the reader with too much information at one time, a double or triple appositive can be an effective way of adding supplementary details to a sentence.
How do you write an apposition?
In order to use appositives, it is important to remember that appositives are noun phrases rather than adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, or otherwise. To be an appositive, they must contain a noun. Find a noun in the sentence which can be elaborated on. Insert an appositive beside the noun.
Can Appositives be one word?
Appositives are nouns that rename other nouns. (Remember that nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.) They can be made of one word or more than one word. When should you put commas around appositives?
Can you have two Appositives in a sentence?
As long as we don't overwhelm the reader with too much information at one time, a double or triple appositive can be an effective way of adding supplementary details to a sentence.
What punctuation usually surrounds Appositives?
An appositive is a noun or pronoun with modifiers which adds extra information or details. – appositives generally identify, rename, or explain. – sentences are still complete and make sense if the appositive is removed. – They are easy to identify because they are often surrounded by commas.
What does appositive mean in literature?
An appositive is a noun or pronoun — often with modifiers — set beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it. Here are some examples of appositives (the noun or pronoun will be in blue, the appositive will be in red).
Where to put appositive in a sentence?
Placing an appositive at the very end of a sentence is another way to give it special emphasis. Compare these two sentences:
Where does an appositive appear?
An appositive most often appears directly after the noun it identifies or renames:
Why do we use dashes instead of commas in a sentence?
Using dashes instead of commas also serves to emphasize the appositive.
What is an appositive clause?
Like an adjective clause, an appositive provides more information about a noun. In fact, we may think of an appositive as a simplified adjective clause. Consider, for example, how the following two sentences can be combined: 1 Jim Gold is a professional magician. 2 Jim Gold performed at my sister's birthday party.
Why are there two appositives in John Boy?
Because John-Boy has multiple sisters and brothers, the two restrictive appositives make clear which sister and which brother the writer is talking about. In other words, the two appositives are restrictive, and so they are not set off by commas.
What is an appositive in a magician?
Reducing an adjective clause to an appositive is one way to cut the clutter in our writing.
What is an appositive?
An appositive is a word or group of words that identifies or renames another word in a sentence.
What is an appositive?
An appositive is a noun or pronoun — often with modifiers — set beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it. Here are some examples of appositives (the noun or pronoun will be in blue, the appositive will be in red ). Your friend Bill is in trouble.
Why do we not put commas around the appositive?
Here we do not put commas around the appositive because it is essential information. Without the appositive, the sentence would be, "The popular US president was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches." We wouldn't know who the president is without the appositive.
What is an Appositive Phrase?
An appositive phrase is a group of words that renames or redefines a noun in the sentence. The appositive phrase appears either before or after the noun it modifies.
Identifying Appositive Word Examples
It may first help to see an example of a single appositive before looking at an appositive phrase.
Identifying Appositive Phrase Examples
Example 1: The hedgehog, an exotic pet in the United States, can make a cute companion, but be sure to check if they're legal where you live before you get one.
What is an appositive?
As we've seen in What Is an Appositive?, an appositive is a word or group of words that concisely identifies or renames another word in a sentence. The exercise on this page offers practice in identifying appositives.
What does "appositive" mean in the dictionary?
Answers to the exercise: appositive: an American journalist. adjective clause: who is a supervisor at Munchies. adjective clause: who is the woodcutter's daughter. appositive: the woodcutter's daughter. appositive: the King of Bashan. appositive: the famous ballerina. adjective clause: who is a professional botanist.
What are adjectives in a sentence?
Answers to the exercise: 1 appositive: an American journalist 2 adjective clause: who is a supervisor at Munchies 3 adjective clause: who is the woodcutter's daughter 4 appositive: the woodcutter's daughter 5 appositive: the King of Bashan 6 appositive: the famous ballerina 7 adjective clause: who is a professional botanist 8 appositive: a good country woman 9 adjective clause: who was a silversmith and a soldier 10 appositive: the 19th-century statesman and novelist
What is the meaning of the appositive?
It is the perpetual dread of fear, the fear of fear, that shapes the face of a brave man. This tale, this tragic tale, was full of cruel wars, savage devastation, unnecessary deaths and the inevitable search for bloody vengeance.
Where does the word "appositive" come from?
The word appositive comes from the Latin phrases ad and position meaning "near" and "placement.". An appositive will nearly always be to the immediate right of the noun it is renaming or describing in another way. However, they do occasionally appear farther away.
Why Should I Care about Appositives?
If that's true for you, it's something worth overcoming because appositives are useful for providing interesting detail mid-sentence in a way that doesn't wreck your sentence structure, and they can be good for emphasis.
What is a non-restrictive appositive?
When it's just removable bonus information, it's called a non-restrictive appositive. Non-restrictive appositives are always offset with commas, dashes or brackets. Restrictive appositives are usually offset with commas, dashes, or parentheses (round brackets) but not always.
Why are appositives important?
If that's true for you, it's something worth overcoming because appositives are useful for providing interesting detail mid-sentence in a way that doesn't wreck your sentence structure, and they can be good for emphasis. So, here are two good reasons to care about appositives.
When a restrictive appositive is not offset with punctuation, the structure will be?
When a restrictive appositive is not offset with punctuation (as in the two examples above and the first example below), the structure will be [generic term-specific term], as opposed to [specific term-generic term].
How to put emphasis on an appositive?
Another great way to create emphasis with an appositive is to put it at the end of the sentence after a colon. To do this, you will need to deliberately structure your sentence to set the stage for the appositive (like a punchline). To pass this course you need just one trait: determination.
How to use "appositive" in a sentence?
The most common way to use an appositive phrase is by putting it after a noun, like this: 1 Sparky, the dog who loved popcorn, was well known around the neighborhood. 2 The dog, who loved popcorn, could often be spotted at the fair. 3 The dog named Sparky was loved by everyone. 4 At the fair, we saw Sparky, the friendly neighborhood dog.
How to identify an appositive phrase?
You can identify an appositive phrase because it is what adds details to the main noun, so, depending on the sentence’s style, sometimes it comes before, and sometimes it comes after. a. Noun followed by an Appositive. The most common way to use an appositive phrase is by putting it after a noun, like this:
What is an appositive noun?
An appositive noun or phrase can come before or after the main noun. It can be at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, as long as it is right next to the noun it describes. In the examples, appositives are red, and nouns are green.
Why is the phrase "former First Lady" appositive?
Here, the appositive phrase is “former First Lady,” because it adds information about Barbara Bush. In this situation, it doesn’t give essential information. We could take away the appositive phrase, and it still makes sense: Barbara Bush could become the oldest living First Lady.
Where is the appositive phrase?
Appositive phrases can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Most times an appositive phrase comes after its noun, but sometimes it comes before.
Do you need a comma in a sentence without an appositive?
Since “Barbara Bush” is necessary information, we don’t need commas. If an appositive phrase isn’t crucial in a sentence, then you do need comma (s).
Is "sparky" an appositive phrase?
Even though it might add important information, an appositive phrase shouldn’t affect a sentence’s grammar. So, a sentence should make sense without it: Sparky was well known around the neighborhood.
What Is an Appositive?
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that follows another noun or noun phrase in apposition to it ( not opposition!)
What are some examples of appositives?
Below are several examples of appositives. Example 1: Jourdan, my oldest friend, came over for dinner last night. In the sentence above, the main sentence is “Jourdan came over for dinner last night.”. The appositive “my oldest friend” provides more specific information about Jourdan, the proper noun and subject of the sentence. Example 2:
What are some examples of prepositional phrases?
For example: My cousin, who lives in a house by the lake, is getting married next month.
What does "appose" mean in French?
Appose originated in Middle French, and means to place something “in proximity to or juxtaposition with” something else. In grammar, words are placed “in apposition to” other words or phrases when they provide another layer of details.
Is "my oldest friend" an appositive?
The appositive “my oldest friend” provides more specific information about Jourdan, the proper noun and subject of the sentence. Rome, the capital city of Italy, is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. The core sentence above is “Rome is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world.”.
Is it better to show or tell when being descriptive?
And when being descriptive, remember: it’s often better to show, not tell. Using the right adjectives, modifiers, and appositives can help you do just that.
Is "by the lake" an appositive?
For example: My cousin, who lives in a house by the lake, is getting married next month. Technically, both “in a house ” and “by the lake” are prepositional phrases, but they’re part of an appositive, since it discloses more information about the cousin who is getting married.
What is an appositive?
Appositives Examples. Appositives. Appositives are nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses that rename a noun that comes just before them. Remember that an appositivecan be a single word or several words. Appositives can be essential or nonessential. If the appositive is necessary for the meaning of the sentence, then it is essential.
What are some examples of appositives?
Examples of Appositives: Examples of Sentences with Appositives with Explanation. 1. My sister Jane is 27 years old. (Jane renames sister) 2. My mom, who is a nurse, drives a red car. (Who is a nurse renames mom, but it is not essential for the meaning of the sentence.) 3.
Is an appositive essential?
If the appositive is necessary for the meaning of the sentence, then it is essential. This means that it cannot be left out. If the appositive is not essential for the meaning of the sentence, and it could be left out, then it is nonessential. Nonessential appositives should be set apart from the sentence with commas.

from Adjective Clauses to Appositives
Arranging Appositives
- An appositive most often appears directly afterthe noun it identifies or renames: 1. Arizona Bill, "The Great Benefactor of Mankind,"toured Oklahoma with herbal cures and a powerful liniment. Note that this appositive, like most, could be omitted without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. In other words, it's nonrestrictiveand needs to be ...
Punctuating Nonrestrictive and Restrictive Appositives
- As we've seen, most appositives are nonrestrictive--that is, the information that they add to a sentence is not essential for the sentence to make sense. Nonrestrictive appositives are set off by commas or dashes. A restrictive appositive (like a restrictive adjective clause) is one that cannot be omitted from a sentence without affecting the basic meaning of the sentence. A restrictive ap…
Four Variations
- 1. Appositives that Repeat a Noun Although an appositive usually renames a noun in a sentence, it may instead repeata noun for the sake of clarity and emphasis: 1. In America, as in anywhere else in the world, we must find a focus in our lives at an early age, a focus that is beyond the mechanics of earning a living or coping with a household. —Santha Rama Rau, "An invitation to …