Grammar Appositives An appositive is a noun or a noun ph | English Learning University

Grammar
Appositives

An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase placed next to another word to define or modify it.

Example :

In the phrase "my friend Hannah," the noun "Hannah" is an appositive, which gives us more information about "my friend".

Restrictive & Non-Restrictive

We have two types of Appositives. Restrictive and non-restrictive.

Non-Restrictive

Non-restrictive appositives are the ones that are NOT necessary for the meaning of the sentence to be completed.

Example :

"Dora, the head surgeon, has called us to meet her."

In this sentence, "the head surgeon" does not narrow down the first element "Dora", rather it provides more information about it. Non-restrictive appositives are put in between commas.

Restrictive Appositives

In a restrictive appositive, the second element limits or clarifies a word in some crucial way. For example, in the sentence "My friend Shane has brought the books." The name "Shane" tells us which friend the writer is talking about; Thus restricting the first element. Restrictive appositives don't need to be set off with a pair of commas.

Example :

Canada, one of the coldest countries in the world, is very beautiful.

Non-restrictive, because without "one of the coldest countries in the world", the sentence still would be complete.

The band Three Days Grace will be performing tonight.

Restrictive, because we didn't know which band would be performing until the Appositive Three Days Grace came in.

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