Appositive Phrases
Using Appositive Phrases
Practice 1: Matching
An appositive is a sentence part that identifies a person, place, or thing named in a sentence. Appositives often begin with the words a, an, or the. They always answer one of these questions.
Who is he? Who is she? Who are they? (people)
What is it? (place or thing)
Appositives occur at the beginning of a sentence (opener), between a subject and verb (s-v split), or at the end of a sentence (closer).
Examples of Appositives
Opener: A professional individualist, William T. Stead seemed almost to have planned his arrival. Walter Lord, A Night to Remember
S-V Split: Cotton, the kitten, went up the tree but could not come down. Roger Duvoisin, Petunia
Closer: May always liked the weird ones best, the ones you couldn’t peg right off. Cynthia Rylant, Missing May
Directions: With a partner, match the appositives with the sentences. Write out each sentence, inserting and underlining the appositive. Use all three positions at least once—opener, s-v split, closer.
Sentences: Appositives:
1. Maycomb was the county seat a. suede with tags and zippers. of Maycomb county.
2. He signaled to Jake to take over the b. a red Olds. cash register.
3. One of these dogs had disappeared. c. the middle brother
4. Tomorrow is Wednesday. d. the best one
5. And of course it was red. e. twenty miles east of Finch’s landing
6. That jacket is a class act. f. a working day Practice 2: Identifying
1. Discuss with a partner what who learned in Practice 1 about appositives. Jot down brief answers to these questions on this paper.
a. What information do appositives tell?
b. Are appositives sentences, or sentence parts?
c. What words usually begin appositives?
d. How long are appositives, short, medium, or long?
e. Where can appositives be placed in a sentence?
f. When is one comma used for an
Practice 1: Matching
An appositive is a sentence part that identifies a person, place, or thing named in a sentence. Appositives often begin with the words a, an, or the. They always answer one of these questions.
Who is he? Who is she? Who are they? (people)
What is it? (place or thing)
Appositives occur at the beginning of a sentence (opener), between a subject and verb (s-v split), or at the end of a sentence (closer).
Examples of Appositives
Opener: A professional individualist, William T. Stead seemed almost to have planned his arrival. Walter Lord, A Night to Remember
S-V Split: Cotton, the kitten, went up the tree but could not come down. Roger Duvoisin, Petunia
Closer: May always liked the weird ones best, the ones you couldn’t peg right off. Cynthia Rylant, Missing May
Directions: With a partner, match the appositives with the sentences. Write out each sentence, inserting and underlining the appositive. Use all three positions at least once—opener, s-v split, closer.
Sentences: Appositives:
1. Maycomb was the county seat a. suede with tags and zippers. of Maycomb county.
2. He signaled to Jake to take over the b. a red Olds. cash register.
3. One of these dogs had disappeared. c. the middle brother
4. Tomorrow is Wednesday. d. the best one
5. And of course it was red. e. twenty miles east of Finch’s landing
6. That jacket is a class act. f. a working day Practice 2: Identifying
1. Discuss with a partner what who learned in Practice 1 about appositives. Jot down brief answers to these questions on this paper.
a. What information do appositives tell?
b. Are appositives sentences, or sentence parts?
c. What words usually begin appositives?
d. How long are appositives, short, medium, or long?
e. Where can appositives be placed in a sentence?
f. When is one comma used for an