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.
Your friend Bill is in trouble.
My brother's car, a sporty red convertible with bucet seats, is the envy of my friends.
!he chief sur"eon, an expert in or"an-transplant procedures, too 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, #assily $andinsy is nown for his colorful abstract paintin"s.
!he first state to ratify the %& 'onstitution, (elaware is rich in history.
A beautiful collie, &ip was my favorite ))).
Punctuation of appositives
*n some cases, the noun bein" explained is too "eneral without the appositive+ the information is essential to
the meanin" of the sentence. #hen this is the case, do not place commas around the appositive+ ,ust leave it
alone. *f 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.
A beautiful collie, &ip was my favorite ))). Here we do not put commas around the appositive, because it is
essential information. #ithout the appositive, the sentence would be !he popular %& president was nown for
his elo-uent and inspirational speeches. #e wouldn't now which president was bein" referred to.
.ohn $ennedy, the popular %& president, was nown for his elo-uent and inspirational speeches. Here we put
commas around the appositive because it is not essential information. #ithout the appositive, the sentence
would be .ohn $ennedy was nown for his elo-uent and traditional speeches. #e still now who the sub,ect
of the sentence is without the appositive.
.ohn $ennedy the popular %& president was -uite different from .ohn $ennedy the unfaithful husband. Here
we do not put commas around either appositive because they are both essential to understandin" the sentence.
#ithout the appositives, the sentence would ,ust be .ohn $ennedy was -uite different from .ohn $ennedy. #e
wouldn't now what -ualities of .ohn $ennedy were bein" referred to without the appositive.
/xercise
%nderline the appositives in the followin" sentences.
0. My son, the policeman, will be visitin" us next wee.
1. !he captain ordered the ship's carpenters to assemble the shallop, a lar"e rowboat.
2. #alter, the playboy and writer, is very attached to his mother, Mrs. Hammon.
3. !he actor 4aul 5ewman directed only one picture.
6. /li7abeth !ea"ue, a sweet and lovable "irl, "rew up to be a mentally troubled woman.