Appositives Review

Appositives

Definition

Appositives add more information into a sentence about a noun or pronoun. They are set off by commas. They are a great way to compact information into one sentence.

Appositives can occur at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

• My grandmother, a retired teacher, volunteers at the local library.

• An expert on marine biology, Dr. Lee studies coral reef ecosystems.

• She bought a new pet, a fluffy gray kitten named Willow.

Multiple Choice

Identify the appositive in the following sentence:

The book, a classic novel by Dickens, is part of our literature syllabus this year.

• The book

• a classic novel by Dickens

• is part

• literature syllabus this year

Multiple Choice

Identify the appositive in the following sentence:
The first woman to complete the course, Emily set a new record for endurance.

• The first woman to complete the course

• Emily

• a new record

• set a new record for endurance.

Multiple Choice

Identify the appositive in the following sentence:
We visited Stonehenge, a mysterious prehistoric monument in England.

• We visited Stonehenge

• In England

• a mysterious prehistoric monument in England

Multiple Choice

Identify the appositive in the following sentence:
Dr. Ramirez, our family dentist, recommended a new toothbrush for sensitive gums.

• Dr. Ramirez

• our family dentist

• recommended a new toothbrush

• for sensitive gums

Use appositives to condense information.

• The spaceship landed on Mars.

• Mars is known for its red soil.

When you condense information, you do not need to reuse every single word. You can add words, too:

• The spaceship landed on Mars, a planet known for its red soil.

Notice the difference between a sentence with an appositive and a compound sentence:

Appositive:
- The spaceship landed on Mars, a planet known for its red soil.

Compound Sentence:
- The spaceship landed on Mars, and Mars is known for its red soil.

​Conjunction

a second Verb after the comma

Another Example:

Appositive sentence:
Anna accepted the award, a golden statue representing excellence.

• Anna accepted the award.

• The award was a golden statue.

• The statue represented excellence.

Multiple Choice

Which a sentence combines the following sentences using an appositive?

The painting used bold colors.

It captured everyone's attention.

The painting was an abstract piece.

• Because the painting was an abstract piece with bold colors, it captured everyone's attention.

• The painting captured everyone's attention, and it was an abstract piece with bold colors.

• The painting was an abstract piece with bold colors and captured everyone's attention.

• The painting, an abstract piece with bold colors, captured everyone’s attention.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence combines the information using an appositive?

Sam's favorite teacher gave him a book to read.

His favorite teacher is Mrs. Johnson.

• Sam's favorite teacher, Mrs. Johnson, gave him a book to read.

• Sam's favorite teacher, giving him a book to read, is Mrs. Johnson.

• Sam's favorite teacher is Mrs. Johnson, and she gave him a book to read.

• While giving him a book to read, Mrs. Johnson became Sam's favorite teacher.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence combines the information using an appositive?

We have a classroom pet.

He is a turtle.

His name is Tiny.

He lives in a tank by the window.

• Tiny is our turtle and a classroom pet, so he lives in a tank by the window.

• We have a classroom turtle named Tiny, and he lives in a tank by the window.

• In a tank by the window, lives Tiny since he is our classroom turtle.

• Our classroom pet, a small turtle named Tiny, lives in a tank by the window.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence best combines the information using an appositive?

We visited the zoo.

The zoo has a new animal.

It is a baby panda.

We watched it play.

• During our visit to the zoo, we watched the new baby panda play.

• We visited the zoo’s new animal, a baby panda, and watched it play.

• Watching the new baby panda play, we realized we had visited the zoo.

• We visited the zoo to see the new animal, and it was a baby panda and we watched it play.

Make sure to not confuse an appositive with a prepositional phrase:

• An inspiring leader and visionary, Mr. Thompson guided the company through challenging times.

• A devoted animal lover, Maya spends her weekends volunteering at the wildlife sanctuary.

Appositive Phrases:

• With loud music and a lively beat, the band entertained the crowd.

• In almost every case, the claims turned out to not be true.

Prepositional Phrases:

​Prepositional Phrases begin with a preposition. The whole phrase acts like an adjective or adverb, answering questions like "How?", "When?", "Where?", or "What kind?"

​Appositive Phrases give more information about or rename a noun or pronoun.

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence contain a prepositional phrase or an appositive phrase?

Under the pale moonlight, the old castle looked hauntingly beautiful.

• Prepositional Phrase

• Appositive Phrase

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence contain a prepositional phrase or an appositive phrase?

A skilled linguist and archeologist, Dr. Carter deciphered the ancient manuscript.

• Prepositional Phrase

• Appositive Phrase

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence contain a prepositional phrase or an appositive phrase?

A city full of tall buildings and busy streets, New York is an exciting place to visit

• Prepositional Phrase

• Appositive Phrase

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence contain a prepositional phrase or an appositive phrase?

During the summer months, the beach is filled with tourists from all over the world.

• Prepositional Phrase

• Appositive Phrase

Open Ended

Combine these sentences using an appositive:

Jake is a talented soccer player.

Jake scored the winning goal in yesterday’s game.

Open Ended

Combine these sentences using an appositive:

Maria is an incredible artist.

Maria can draw lifelike portraits of animals.