Lesson 129

Parts of the Sentence - Appositives

An appositive is a word or group of words that identifies or renames the nounA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. Examples: man, city, book, and courage. Source: Lesson 16 or pronounA pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or a group of words used as a noun.
Source: Lesson 21 that it follows. It is set off by commas unless closely tied to the word that it identifies or renames. ("Closely tied" means that it is needed to identify the word.)

Appositives should not be confused with predicate nominativesA predicate nominative or predicate noun completes a linking verb and renames the subject. It is a complement or completer because it completes the verb. Predicate nominatives complete only linking verbs.
Source: Lesson 102. A verb will separate the subject from the predicate nominative. An appositive can follow any noun or pronoun including the subjectThe subject tells who or what about the verb. Source: Lesson 91, direct objectA direct object receives the action performed by the subject. The verb used with a direct object is always an action verb. Another way of saying it is that the subject does the verb to the direct object.
Source: Lesson 108, or predicate nominative.

Examples:
My son Carl is a medical technician. (no commas)
Badger, our dog with a missing leg, has a love for cats. (commas needed)

Appositives may be compound.

Example:
The two children, Wendy and Sam, are excellent students.

You can make one smooth sentence from two short, choppy sentences by using an appositive.

Example:
Ila won the prize. It was a trip to Hawaii.
Ila won the prize, a trip to Hawaii.

Instructions: Combine the following sentences by using an appositive.

1. Yesterday I saw an exciting movie. It was called Goldeneye.

Yesterday I saw an exciting movie, Goldeneye.
- or -
Yesterday I saw Goldeneye, an exciting movie.

2. Mr. Jones will be with you shortly. He is the plant manager.

Mr. Jones, the plant manager, will be with you shortly.
- or -
The plant manager Mr. Jones will be with you shortly.

3. That woman is my neighbor. She is a well-known author.

That woman, a well-known author, is my neighbor.
- or -
That woman, my neighbor, is a well-known author.
- or -
That woman is my neighbor, a well-known author.

4. Luis can do almost anything. He is a talented person.

Luis, a talented person, can do almost anything.

5. Do you want to meet Barbara Jean? She is my lab assistant.

Do you want to meet Barbara Jean, my lab assistant?
- or -
Do you want to meet my lab assistant Barbara Jean?