Appositive & Appositive Phrases

Today is really a comma lesson, so get ready…

Appositive• An appositive is a noun or pronoun

that usually comes directly after another word in a sentence to identify or provide further information about that word. – The teacher Mrs.Vogt loves to teach

grammar. –Mrs. Vogt, a Harry Potter addict, reads

lots of books.

Appositive Phrase• An appositive phrase is made up of

an appositive and all of its modifiers. The modifiers may be single words, phrases, or clauses. – Harry Potter, an only child, fought He-

Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. – The uncle of a famous wizard, Vernon

hated magic. – The character Hermione studied all the

time.

Essential Appositive• An essential appositive must be in

the sentence for the sentence meaning to be clear.– It is not set off with commas!

– The guidance counselor Mrs. Zipprich is very knowledgeable about colleges and the ACT.

Nonessential Appositive • A nonessential appositive is one that

is not needed to make the meaning of a sentence clear. If it were omitted from the sentence, the basic meaning of the sentence would still be clear. – Commas are required!

– The guidance counselor for seniors and juniors, Mrs. Zipprich, knows a lot about the ACT and college.