Appositives and Appositives and Appositive Appositive PhrasesPhrasesEssential Question:Essential Question:

Why do we want to use Why do we want to use AppositivesAppositives and and Appositive Appositive PhrasesPhrases in our writing? in our writing?

DefinitionDefinition

An An appositiveappositive is: is:

A A nounnoun or or pronounpronoun placed after another placed after another noun or pronoun to: noun or pronoun to:

identifyidentify, , renamerename, or , or explainexplain the preceding word. the preceding word.

Examples of appositivesExamples of appositives

The painter Pablo Picasso lived in Spain.The painter Pablo Picasso lived in Spain.

I want to visit Spain’s famous museum, I want to visit Spain’s famous museum, The Prado.The Prado.

The painting The painting GuernicaGuernica impressed my impressed my fatherfather

Appositive PhraseAppositive Phrase

An An appositive appositive phrasephrase is: is:

A noun or pronoun with modifiers A noun or pronoun with modifiers (describing words). (describing words).

It stands It stands nextnext to a noun or pronoun and to a noun or pronoun and adds adds informationinformation or or details.details.

Examples of appositive Examples of appositive phrasesphrases

Willa Cather, an American novelist, wrote Willa Cather, an American novelist, wrote My Antonia.My Antonia.

Lisbon, a thriving port in Portugal, has Lisbon, a thriving port in Portugal, has often been the scene of espionage.often been the scene of espionage.

The shopping center—a network of cars, The shopping center—a network of cars, shops, and people--provides many jobs.shops, and people--provides many jobs.

Appositives and appositive Appositives and appositive phrases CAN be phrases CAN be compoundcompound

The two settings, The two settings, a city in England and a a city in England and a city in Russiacity in Russia, are contrasted in the book., are contrasted in the book.

An appositive isAn appositive is NOT a NOT a prepositional phraseprepositional phrase

The boy The boy with the broken armwith the broken arm is my is my brother.brother.

The boy, The boy, the one with the broken the one with the broken armarm, is my brother., is my brother.

Commas and appositivesCommas and appositives

When this word or group of words When this word or group of words interruptsinterrupts a sentence, it needs a sentence, it needs commascommas on on bothboth sides. sides.

Riley, my dog, is gregariousRiley, my dog, is gregarious

EXCEPTION: If it is one EXCEPTION: If it is one wordword, , namename, or , or titletitle, NO COMMA IS NEEDED!, NO COMMA IS NEEDED!

My dog Riley is gregarious.My dog Riley is gregarious.

Commas and appositivesCommas and appositives

Commas are put Commas are put aroundaround the appositive phrase the appositive phrase because it is NOT because it is NOT necessarynecessary to the to the meaningmeaning of of the sentence. the sentence.

This means if you take the appositive phrase This means if you take the appositive phrase outout of the sentence, it still makes of the sentence, it still makes sensesense..

EXAMPLEEXAMPLE

Riley, Riley, my gregarious dogmy gregarious dog, will jump up on his hind , will jump up on his hind legs when he meets people.legs when he meets people.

Examples from Tuck Examples from Tuck EverlastingEverlasting

““Winnie, Winnie, the only child of the housethe only child of the house, , never went there…”never went there…”

It was Mae Tuck with her otherIt was Mae Tuck with her other

son, son, Jesse’s older brotherJesse’s older brother..

Examples from Examples from Tuck Tuck EverlastingEverlasting

Then she stood and took from the Then she stood and took from the washstand beside the bed, a washstand beside the bed, a little square-shaped object, little square-shaped object, a a music box painted with roses music box painted with roses and lilies of the valley.and lilies of the valley.

Examples from Examples from Tuck Tuck EverlastingEverlasting

On the left stood the first house, On the left stood the first house, a square a square and solid cottage with a touch-me-not and solid cottage with a touch-me-not appearance,appearance, surrounded by grass cut surrounded by grass cut painfully to the quick and enclosed by a painfully to the quick and enclosed by a capable iron fence…capable iron fence…

Examples from Examples from Tuck Tuck EverlastingEverlasting

The last stains of sunset had melted away, The last stains of sunset had melted away, and the twilight died, too, as he stood and the twilight died, too, as he stood there, though its remnants clung there, though its remnants clung reluctantly to everything that was pale reluctantly to everything that was pale in color— in color— pebbles, the dusty road, the pebbles, the dusty road, the figure of the man himselffigure of the man himself— turning — turning them blue and blurry.them blue and blurry.

Examples from Examples from Tuck Tuck EverlastingEverlasting

But in another part of her head, But in another part of her head, the dark part where her oldest the dark part where her oldest fears were housedfears were housed, she knew , she knew there was another sort of there was another sort of reason for staying at home: she reason for staying at home: she was afraid to go away alone..was afraid to go away alone..

Examples from Examples from Tuck Tuck EverlastingEverlasting

And at once, when she saw the And at once, when she saw the two of them, two of them, Jesse with his foot Jesse with his foot on the pile of pebbles and on the pile of pebbles and Winnie on her knees beside Winnie on her knees beside himhim, she seemed to , she seemed to understand.understand.

Exit SlipExit Slip

Compare and contrast a Compare and contrast a prepositional phrase prepositional phrase and an appositive and an appositive phrase? phrase?