Appositives Shelby Piccinic Jimaye Frage Veronica Esteves
Appositive: An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words
Examples of Appositives Here are some very basic examples to help you understand the concept: Don't leave your shoes there, or my dog, Ollie, will munch them. (In this example, the appositive is Ollie. It is in apposition (as it's called) to my dog.) My best friend, Lee, caught a whelk when he was fishing for bass. (In this example, the appositive is Lee. It is in apposition to My best friend.) Dr Pat, the creator of the turnip brew, sold 8 barrels on the first day. (In this example, the appositive is the creator of the turnip brew. It is in apposition to Dr Pat.)
An Appositive Can Be a Noun, a Noun Phrase, or Noun Clause For example: The beast, a lion, was starting to show interest in our party. (In this example, the appositive is a noun.) The beast, a large lion with a mane like a bonfire, was starting to show interest in our party. (In this example, the appositive is a noun phrase.) The beast, a large lion with a mane like a bonfire which was looking hungry, was starting to show interest in our party. (In this example, the appositive is a noun clause.)
Appositives and Punctuation Some appositives don't require you to use certain types of punctuation. For example: -The time that my sister Amy broke her arm really showed me how dangerous it is to climb trees. (The author is describing Amy as his/her sister but doesn't need to include commas.) Although, most appositives require you to use punctuation such as commas. For example: -Andrew, my best friend, couldn't hang out today because he got grounded. (In this sentence the author is describing Andrew as his/her best friend and uses commas to emphasize who Andrew is)
Choosing Punctuation There are 3 ways to write appositives with punctuation. 1. Using one or two commas Ex. Danny Sullivan, the wiry 59 year old man next door, used to be a pro football player. 2. Using one or two dashes Ex. My sister - who loves pizza - was the culprit behind the missing pizza slice. 3. Using a colon Ex. My perfect day would start off with a trip to the beach: sunny and beautiful.
Rhetorical and Stylistic Strategy Appositives serve two rhetorical and stylistic functions 1. An appositive can clarify a term. It does this by providing a proper noun/ synonym for the term by defining, explaining or getting more specific about the word. Ex. Proper noun: Emily, the quiet girl next door. Synonym: The car, a machine, was quite impressive. Other ways to clarify a term would be by providing a longer definition, an explanation, or by specificity
Rhetorical and Stylistic Strategy continued 2. An appositive can smoothen out choppy writing. Ex 1. The smartest kid is Gabe Tiben. He's my friend. He's a very nice boy The smartest kid is my friend Gabe Tiben, a nice boy. Ex 2. The computer is a machine. It's an amazing piece of technology. The computer, a machine, is an amazing piece of technology.
Appositive before or after the noun or pronoun? The most common use of an Appositive in writing is to place the appositive after the pronoun but you can actually put it either way. A wiry fifty-nine-year-old who has a stern buzz cut, Daniel Kennedy was the principal of Sarasota High school in 1997. Or Daniel Kennedy, a wiry fifty-nine-year-old who has a stern buzz cut, was the principal of Sarasota High school in 1997.
Questions 1. Which of the following sentences is not grammatically correct. a. Shaine, the extremely shy boy next door, ironically tried out for the school play. b. Mr. Gordon - the meanest teacher in school- gave me a D on my latest test! c. My mom told me to go grocery shopping and the list said: eggs, napkins, and bread. d. The park, a beautiful neighborhood hang out spot, was affected by hurricane Sandy. 2. Which of the following is NOT a function of appositives. a. To smoothen choppy sentences. b. To emphasis a point. c. To clarify a term. d. To use pathos, ethos and logos. e. Answers B and D.
Review My son, the policeman, will be visiting us next week. The captain ordered the ship's carpenters to assemble the shallop, a large rowboat. Walter, the playboy and writer, is very attached to his mother, Mrs. Hammon. Paul Newman the famous American actor directed five motion pictures. Elizabeth Teague, a sweet and lovable girl, grew up to be a mentally troubled woman. Sweetbriar a company known throughout the South is considering a nationwide advertising campaign. An above-average student and talented musician John made his family proud. Citizen Kane the greatest American film ever made won only one Academy Award. 60 Minutes the TV news magazine program featured a story on the popular singer Whitney Houston.
Ten Question Practice YAY
Practice Quiz 1. There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground. ~Ben Hogan 2. Her rage filled the house, flat stale smoke. It got into everything, into our hair and our food, like the fallout they talked to us about in school that would one day drift down soft as snow. ~Junot Doaz 3. I don t think my father, the inventor of the toaster strudel, would be too pleased to hear about this. ~Mean Girls 4. You are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel. Remember that. ~Unknown 5. Andy s sister, Jenny, loves to shop for vintage dresses at thrift stores and consignment shops and often finds incredible bargains.
Practice Quiz Continued 6. Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, auditioned for the role eight times before she landed it. 7. In the time of Roman Republic, only male Roman citizens were allowed to wear a toga, a long cloth wrapped around the body. 8. On November 9th, 1989, East Germany opened the Berlin Wall, one of the most reviled symbols of the Cold War. 9. The second-place finisher in the Belleville Half Marathon last weekend was Mr. Johnston, one of our neighbors. 10. The hugely popular today, Madame Butterfly, the Italian opera composed by Giacomo Puccini, was poorly received at it premiere in 1904.
Answers 1. There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground. ~Ben Hogan 2. Her rage filled the house, flat stale smoke. It got into everything, into our hair and our food, like the fallout they talked to us about in school that would one day drift down soft as snow. ~Junot Doaz 3. I don t think my father, the inventor of the toaster strudel, would be too pleased to hear about this. ~Mean Girls 4. You are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel. Remember that. ~Unknown 5. Andy s sister, Jenny, loves to shop for vintage dresses at thrift stores and consignment shops and often finds incredible bargains.
Answers Continued 6. Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, auditioned for the role eight times before she landed it. 7. In the time of Roman Republic, only male Roman citizens were allowed to wear a toga, a long cloth wrapped around the body. 8. On November 9th, 1989, East Germany opened the Berlin Wall, one of the most reviled symbols of the Cold War. 9. The second-place finisher in the Belleville Half Marathon last weekend was Mr. Johnston, one of our neighbors. 10. The hugely popular today, Madame Butterfly, the Italian opera composed by Giacomo Puccini, was poorly received at it premiere in 1904.