Appositive Phrases

PAGE 91 AND 92
An appositive is a noun or a pronoun placed beside (after)

another noun or pronoun to identify, modify, or describe it.
Think of it as “renaming” the noun.
Noun Described
The astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the
moon.
Appositive
“Neil Armstrong” identifies, describes, or renames “astronaut” —

and, in this case, also makes it more specific.
Again, an appositive is a noun or a pronoun placed beside
(after) another noun or pronoun to identify, modify, or
describe it. And, yes, once again, think of it as “renaming”
the noun.
Noun Described
I chose one person, her, to organize the school’s volunteers.
Appositive
“Her” identifies, describes, or renames “person.”

Your turn! Identify the appositives …
Noun Described
My dog, Zanzibar, dug up bones on Mars for his vacation.
Appositive
Noun Described
I saw the hit movie Shrek with my best friend last night.
Appositive
Noun Described
In the city park I found only one dog, his.
Appositive
Take the very same concept and apply it to a phrase. But
remember, a phrase is a collection (or group) of related
words that is used as a single part of speech and that does
not contain both a verb and a subject.
An appositive phrase is used

as what part of speech?
NOUN
And, of course, the appositive phrase will not contain both a verb
and its subject because then you will have a clause or possibly
even a sentence.
So …
An appositive phrase acts like a noun and consists or is

made up of an appositive and its modifiers (related
words). It follows the noun it describes, identifies,
modifies, or renames.
Put another way …

Remember, an appositive phrase is a group of related words
that acts as a noun and describes, identifies, modifies, or
renames the noun it follows.
Noun Described Appositive
Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was

known for his humor and optimism.
Early in the 16th century a young Italian artist, Michelangelo,

sculpted the David, one of the world’s greatest art treasures.

Your turn! Identify the appositive phrases …
Noun Described
Be sure to cut the board to the exact length, five feet.
Appositive
Noun Described
I’ll have a sandwich, roast beef on whole wheat bread, please.
Appositive
Noun Described
Jose took his friend Jennifer Lopez to the party at Disneyland.
Appositive
One last but very important point: Appositives
and appositive phrases can be either essential
or non-essential.
Essential means “needed” or “critical” or “necessary” — Your heart

is an essential organ, water is an essential nutrient, and love is an
essential human need.
An essential word or phrase is one that is needed (required) to

understand the writer’s intent and/or meaning.
If the appositive or appositive phrase is essential to the meaning

the writer intended, it is usually NOT set off by commas.
Remember: Essential usually means you do
NOT use a comma; for non-essential words or
phrases, you should use a comma.
, ,
essential
no comma
non-essential
use comma
Here is our first example …
Noun Described
,
The astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the
moon.
Appositive
Twelve men have walked on the surface of the moon. If you leave
out the appositive, what you have left is this:
The astronaut was the first person to walk on the moon.
Although it is a complete sentence, we cannot know the writer’s

meaning because we don’t know the identity of the astronaut.
“Neil Armstrong” is therefore an essential appositive, so no
commas are used.
And here is our second example …
,
Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was
known for his humor and optimism.
If you leave out the appositive phrase, what you have left is this:
Ronald Reagan was known for his humor and optimism.
It is a complete sentence, and we understand the author’s

meaning: Reagan told great stories and jokes, and he always had
a positive attitude. The phrase is non-essential, so we use
commas. The fact that he was the 40th president is interesting,
but it does not add to our understanding of Reagan’s “style.”
,
Finally, our last example example …
Noun Described
My dog Zanzibar likes to fly.
Appositive
The writer has more than one dog, so the name of the dog is
essential: We cannot identify the specific dog unless we have the
,
dog’s name — so a comma is NOT used.
Noun Described
My dog, Zanzibar, likes to fly.

Appositive
The writer has only one dog, so the name of the dog is not
essential: We can still identify the specific dog being written
about — so a comma is used.
Your turn! Are these appositives essential or non-essential?
Mr. Mason, my language arts teacher, is 39 years old.

Appositive
,
Is “my language arts teacher” needed to understand the writer’s
meaning? If the appositive phrase is removed, will we still be able
,
to identify the subject?
My brother, Paul, has blond hair.
Appositive
How many brothers are there? One? More than one? How does
that affect comma use? Why?
Your turn! Are these appositives essential or non-essential?
Mr. Mason, my language arts teacher, is 39 years old.

Appositive
,
Is “my language arts teacher” needed to understand the writer’s
meaning? If the appositive phrase is removed, will we still be able
,
to identify the subject?
My brother, Paul, has blond hair.
Appositive
How many brothers are there? One? More than one? How does
that affect comma use? Why?
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attack on the United
States by Al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001. Al-Qaeda is an
Islamic terrorist group.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001, when

the Unites States was attacked by Al-Qaeda, a group of Islamic
terrorists.
San Diego has more than 70 miles of coastline. It is a major

tourist center. It is California’s second largest city.
San Diego, a major tourist center and California’s second largest

city, has more than 70 miles of coastline.
So … One last time … you know you love it!
An appositive phrase acts like a noun and consists or is

made up of an appositive and its modifiers (related
words). It follows the noun it describes, identifies,
modifies, or renames.
Put another way …

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PAGE 91 AND 92

An appositive is a noun or a pronoun placed beside (after)

“Neil Armstrong” identifies, describes, or renames “astronaut” —

I chose one person, her, to organize the school’s volunteers.

“Her” identifies, describes, or renames “person.”

My dog, Zanzibar, dug up bones on Mars for his vacation.

In the city park I found only one dog, his.

An appositive phrase is used

An appositive phrase acts like a noun and consists or is

Put another way …

Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was

Noun Described Appositive

Early in the 16th century a young Italian artist, Michelangelo,

Noun Described Appositive

Be sure to cut the board to the exact length, five feet.

I’ll have a sandwich, roast beef on whole wheat bread, please.

Jose took his friend Jennifer Lopez to the party at Disneyland.

Essential means “needed” or “critical” or “necessary” — Your heart

An essential word or phrase is one that is needed (required) to

If the appositive or appositive phrase is essential to the meaning

The astronaut was the first person to walk on the moon.

Although it is a complete sentence, we cannot know the writer’s

Ronald Reagan was known for his humor and optimism.

It is a complete sentence, and we understand the author’s

My dog Zanzibar likes to fly.

My dog, Zanzibar, likes to fly.

Mr. Mason, my language arts teacher, is 39 years old.

My brother, Paul, has blond hair.

Mr. Mason, my language arts teacher, is 39 years old.

My brother, Paul, has blond hair.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001, when

San Diego has more than 70 miles of coastline. It is a major

San Diego, a major tourist center and California’s second largest

An appositive phrase acts like a noun and consists or is

Put another way …

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