Appositives

An appositive is a noun that is placed next to another noun to identify it or add information about it.

An appositive phrase is a group of words that includes an appositive and other words that describe the appositive.

• An appositive phrase is usually set off from the rest of the sentence with one or more commas.

Example: Madison’s father, James Madison, was a plantationowner.

**Madison only had one father, and his father’s name isn’t necessary to identify him.

• If the appositive is needed to identify the noun or it is a single word, you do not use commas.

Example: Madison’s friend Thomas Jefferson was presidentbefore him.

** Since Madison had more than one friend, the name Thomas Jefferson is needed to identify this particular friend.

• Appositives and appositive phrases can come at the beginning, middle, and end of a sentence.

• EXAMPLES:An expert on food, Appert worried about food spoilage.

Appert, an expert on food, worried about food spoilage. The government gave Appert, an expert on food, a cash award. A simple solution had occurred to Appert, an expert on food.

What’s the appositive or appositive phrase? Does it get commas?

• 1. My son the policeman will be visiting next week.

• 2. The captain ordered the ship’s carpenters to assemble the shallop a large rowboat.

• 3. Walter the writer is very attached to his mother, Mrs. Hammon.

• 4. Elizabeth Teague a sweet and loveable girl grew up to be a mentally troubled woman.

What’s the appositive or appositive phrase? Does it need commas?

• 1. Sweetbriar a company known throughout the South is considering a nationwide advertising campaign.

• 2. An above-average student and talented musician John made his family proud.

• 3. The extremely popular American film Titanic was widely criticized for its mediocre script.

• 1. The actor Paul Newman directed only one picture.

• 2. 60 Minutes the TV news magazine program featured a story on the popular singer Whitney Houston.