Appositives What is an appositive An appositive is

Appositives

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.

What about an example? • Sure. The noun is underlined; the appositive is green. • Your friend Bill is in trouble. • My brother's car, a sporty red convertible with bucket seats, is the envy of my friends.

One More example? • The chief surgeon, an expert in organ-transplant procedures, took her nephew on a hospital tour.

Did you notice appositive’s position? • An appositive phrase usually follows the word it explains or identifies, but it may also precede it. • (For now let it follow)

Why use appositives? • Less is more. Use less words when writing, and audience may be more engaged. • Combining two ideas into one sentence allows the writer to state sentence’s point more succinctly and therefore more clearly.

When do I use comma? • If the sentence would be clear and complete without the appositive, then commas are necessary; place one before and one after the appositive. • For example: John Kennedy, the popular US president, was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches. • Is appositive essential to understanding sentence? No

When do I not use commas? • When the appositive is essential/necessary for understanding the sentence. • The popular US president John Kennedy was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches. • Is John Kennedy necessary info? Of course, there have been several popular US president so we must know which one.

Where can I find out more? • Owl. english. purdue. edu’owl/resourc e