Restrictive Appositives: a restrictive appositive is necessary for a reader’s understanding of the primary word or noun it explains.But, when the information is crucial, such as in the final example above, it should be outside of commas. The fourth example above is a good representation of when commas are necessary. When it’s extra information that makes the sentence more interesting but doesn’t change its overall meaning, it should go in-between commas. It should be used when the appositive is not crucial for the reader’s understanding of the phrase. In these examples, readers should note that sometimes punctuation is used around the appositive and other times it’s not. Your brother Simon is in trouble with the law.The skilled architect Sarah Morgan is responsible for these buildings.Mike Lake, the manager, was known for his outrageous rules.A sweet rescue dog Scout was my favorite animal.She chose that house, a big one with a huge pool in the backyard.I went to see my brother, the one with red hair and two children.The bolded phrases in the following examples are appositives and the underlined word is the noun it explains. There are many different possible examples of appositive words and phrases. There is an infinite number of examples of appositives with new ones being created every day with the many varieties of speech and content.

It may provide information that’s crucial for a reader’s understanding of what someone looks like, what a place feels like, or what someone is doing. It’s not necessary for the appositive word to follow, but it usually makes the sentence more interesting and colorful. 4 Examples of Appositives in LiteratureĪn appositive follows a basic noun or word that is explained in greater detail.1 Definition and Explanation of Appositive.

What is an appositive