22 · Phrases
Appositives
An appositive is a neighbouring noun phrase that gives another name for the same person or thing. In the captain, a Scot, both noun phrases refer to one person. The second phrase is a dependent inside the larger noun phrase; it does not fill a second subject or object slot.
Check for two co-referring noun phrases
- Mark the two candidate noun phrases, including their determiners.
- Ask whether the context makes both phrases refer to the same person or thing.
- Use commas or a be paraphrase as supporting evidence for the reading, not as the definition.
A be paraphrase turns the relationship into clause-level predication, and removing a phrase can change which referent is meant. Neither operation distinguishes every appositive from every other modifier.
two readings in writing
Commas record a supplementary reading
Without commas, Arun can help identify which guide is meant.
With commas, the name is added about a guide already identified.
Without commas, Arun can help identify which guide is meant. With commas, the name is added about a guide already identified. Both are appositive readings; punctuation supplies evidence about the intended relation, not the relation itself.
Ten sentences from this lesson, one decision at a time.