Appositives

Subject: Appositives Mon May 19, 2008 10:05 am

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.
My brother's car, a sporty red convertible with bucket seats, is the envy of my friends.
The chief surgeon, an expert in organ-transplant procedures, took her nephew on a hospital tour.

An appositive phrase usually follows the word it explains or identifies, but it may also precede it.

A bold innovator, Wassily Kadinsky is known for his colorful abstract paintings.The first state to ratify the U. S. Constitution, Delaware is rich in history.
A beautiful collie, Skip was my favorite dog.

Punctuation of appositives

In some cases, the noun being explained is too general without the
appositive; the information is essential to the meaning of the sentence.
When this is the case, do not place commas around the appositive; just
leave it alone. If the sentence would be clear and complete without the
appositive, then commas are necessary; place one before and one after the
appositive.

Here are some examples.

The popular US president John Kennedy was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches.

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 which president was being referred to.

John Kennedy, the popular US president, was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches.

Here we put commas around the appositive because it is not essential
information. Without the appositive, the sentence would be, "John Kennedy
was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches." We still know who
the subject of the sentence is without the appositive.

John Kennedy the popular US president was quite different from John Kennedy the unfaithful
husband.

Here we do not put commas around either appositive because they are
both essential to understanding the sentence. Without the appositives, the
sentence would just be John Kennedy was quite different from John Kennedy.
We wouldn't know what qualities of John Kennedy were being referred to
without the appositive.

Subject: Re: Appositives Mon May 19, 2008 6:28 pm

I LOVE APPOSITIVES IN GRAMMAR!!!

Nice info..... Wink

Thanks!