Examples of an Appositive Phrase
- The smallest state in the US, Rhode Island is in the northeast.
- The dog, a beagle, is great at following a scent.
- The apartment had bugs, big brown cockroaches!
What does an appositive phrase identify or explain?
An appositive phrase is a special kind of noun phrase that explains or identifies another noun or pronoun. There are two kinds of appositive phrases: Essential appositive phrases (also called restrictive appositive phrases) and non-essential appositive phrases (also called nonrestrictive appositive phrases).
Can you give an example of an appositive sentence?
What is an appositive? An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that renames the noun next to it. It serves the purpose of adding information about another noun. For example, consider the phrase "The boy raced ahead to the finish line. " Adding an appositive noun phrase could result in "The boy, an avid sprinter, raced ahead to the finish line."
Is appositive a type of pronoun that renames a noun?
An appositive is a type of pronoun that renames a noun. This is TRUE. Example: Bob's car, a wreck, died a grisly death by the side of the interstate. The appositive “a wreck” renames the noun, “car.”
What is the appositive in the sentence?
How to Build Sentences with Appositives
- From Adjective Clauses to Appositives. Like an adjective clause, an appositive provides more information about a noun. ...
- Arranging Appositives. Arizona Bill, "The Great Benefactor of Mankind," toured Oklahoma with herbal cures and a powerful liniment.
- Punctuating Nonrestrictive and Restrictive Appositives. ...
- Four Variations. ...
What is an appositive phrase?
Appositive phrase definition: An appositive phrase is simply an appositive and its modifiers.
Why do we use appositives in a sentence?
Here, the overuse of appositives negatively interrupts the flow of the sentence. Appositives should add content to a sentence to make the writing more concise but not in such a way that they create confusing syntax. In this case the writer should break up this information to multiple sentences.
What does "appositive" mean in a sentence?
What does appositive mean? An appositive is a noun or pronoun. It further identifies or explains another noun or pronoun in a sentence. Almost always an appositive interrupts the flow of a sentence and is therefore set apart with specific punctuation. Appositives are set apart with commons.
What is restrictive appositive?
The previous examples are all non-restrictive. A restrictive appositive is one that cannot be removed from the sentence. It often looks like a non-restrictive appositive but it does not have any punctuation to set it apart. Let’s look at an example to further explain this concept.
What punctuates the appositive phrase?
In this sentence, a dash punctuates the appositive phrase.
Why do you put a comma in an appositive?
Appositives are punctuated with commas and add additional information to make writing more effective and more concise.
Can appositives be removed from a sentence?
Since appositives add additional information to a sentence, most appositives can be completely removed from the sentence and the sentence will still be grammatically correct.
What is an appositive phrase?
An appositive can be a word — a noun (e.g., a tabby ), or a group of words containing at least one noun, referred to as a noun phrase (e.g., an adorable silver tabby ).
How to identify an appositive phrase?
If there’s a further explanation, separated by commas, that might be it. But to identify the appositive or appositive phrase, you need to have a closer look at that part of the sentence. Does it consist of a noun or a nominal phrase? If it does, that’s an appositive. But if it contains a verb, that’s a relative clause.
What does it mean when an appositive is in apposition?
We say that an appositive is “in apposition” to the noun, which means that it’s next to the noun.
What is an appositive?
A dictionary definition of appositive is “standing in grammatical apposition.” A synonym of apposition is “relating to.”
Can an appositive be a verb?
No. As we’ve seen above, an appositive doesn’t contain verbs. However, appositives can easily be turned into relative clauses or simple sentences, depending on the writer’s/speaker’s style and preferences.
What Is an Appositive Phrase?
An appositive noun phrase is a type of noun phrase that provides additional information about the subject or objects of a sentence. To understand appositive phrases, we need to define what a noun phrase is.
What Are the Two Types of Appositive Phrases?
There are two types of appositives and appositive phrases. Nonrestrictive appositives, also called nonessential appositives, provide information about the noun that is not essential to the sentence. The sentence will still make sense if you remove the appositive phrase.
What is an appositive?
An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that renames the noun next to it. It serves the purpose of adding information about another noun. For example, consider the phrase "The boy raced ahead to the finish line. ".
Where is an appositive in a sentence?
An appositive can come before or after the main noun, and it can be at the beginning, middle or end of a sentence. It has to sit beside the noun it defines. As a noun phrase, an appositive does not have a subject or a predicate, and so does not express a complete thought.
Why are appositives surrounded by commas?
Did you notice all of the appositive examples are surrounded by commas? Appositive noun phrases are nonrestrictive, which means they can be left out of a sentence and the sentence will still make sense. For this reason, they should be surrounded by commas when used in a sentence. This indicates the appositive's helpful, but non-essential function. Commas are required for these types of phrases because they function as parenthetical expressions.
Why do we use appositive nouns?
You may not realize it, but you use appositive noun phrases every day to provide more detail in your sentences. Appositives are two nouns that work together, where one identifies or further defines the other. Sounds almost abstract, right? Fear not, as soon as you review these appositive examples, it’ll all make sense.
When to use appositives in writing?
Only use them when they can add to the character of the noun and provide more interest to your work.
Why do you need a comma when using appositives?
Commas are required for these types of phrases because they function as parenthetical expressions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.