Using Commas to Set Off Appositive Phrases

Appositive Phrases Practice Before Grammar Cup

This is your last chance to practice!

My sister, a nurse, told me she is working overtime at Children's Hospital, a hospital located in Dallas.

• Notice the nouns that are underlined may need more information--almost like a name tag.

• Notice the phrases in red work to add more information to specific nouns.

An appositive renames a noun and is set off from the sentence with commas or hyphens. 

• Ex: Hermione Granger, a witch at Hogwarts School, is accomplished at spells.

Multiple Choice

What is the appositive phrase: The coast of Africa, one of the world's largest continents, is a prosperous trading region.

• The coast of Africa

• one of the world's largest continents

• is a prosperous trading region.

Multiple Choice

What is the appositive phrase: Our family visited The Smithsonian Institution, a vast network of galleries in Washington, D.C.

• Our family

• visited

• The Smithsonian Institution

• a vast network of galleries in Washington, D.C.

Multiple Choice

What is the appositive phrase: The fastest animal the peregrine falcon can travel more than 100 miles per hour at certain times.

• The fastest animal

• the peregrine falcon

• can travel more

• 100 miles per hour at certain times.

Multiple Choice

How would you properly punctuate this sentence: The fastest animal the peregrine falcon can travel more than 100 miles per hour at certain times

• The fastest, animal, the peregrine falcon can travel more than 100 miles per hour at certain times.

• The fastest animal, the peregrine falcon, can travel more than 100 miles per hour at certain times

• The fastest animal, the peregrine falcon, can travel more than 100 miles per hour at certain times.

• The fastest animal, the peregrine falcon can travel, more than 100 miles per hour at certain times.

Multiple Choice

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct: The novel one of the most important works ever written, will soon be read.

• novel one

• most important

• written, will

Multiple Choice

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct: In 2020, the year marked by Covid many events were postponed or cancelled.

• 2020, the

• Covid many

• events were

Open Ended

Model the following sentence using your own ideas: My father, a man with no patience, hates standing in lines.

Open Ended

Model the following sentence using your own ideas: My favorite movie character, Harry Potter, is a boy wizard.