It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Apposition. (Discuss)
Min Woo Lee was here In grammar, an appositive is defined as a noun phrase that generally follows, but occasionally precedes, another noun phrase and renames or describes it. One way to identify an appositive is to ask the question: could this phrase replace the word next to it? Does this phrase make the word next to it all but unnecessary? Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Apposition is a figure of speech, in which two elements are placed side by side, with the second element serving to define or modify the first (ex: My wife, a nurse by training. ... Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ... In linguistics, a noun phrase is a phrase whose Head is a noun. ...
In the following examples, appositives and appositive phrases are identified by italics:
An appositive, a grammatically incomplete noun phrase, is generally set off by commas, a reader-friendly invention.
Alexander the Great, the Macedonian conqueror of Persia, was one of the most successful military commanders of the ancient world.
Bill's friend Alice adored the famous singer Dean Martin.
Bill brought Alice along to the famous singer's wedding. Bill's friend, Alice, adored Dean Martin, the famous singer.
Appositives are either restrictive, in which case they are essential to the meaning of the sentence, or non-restrictive, in which case they are not. The appositives in the third example above are restrictive, as it is assumed that Bill has more than one friend, and there is more than one famous singer (compare restrictive clause). Restrictive appositives do not require commas. The appositives in example four are non-restrictive, since Bill's friend and the famous singer have already been identified. In syntax, the concept of restrictiveness applies to a variety of syntactical constructions. ...
Min Woo Lee was here In grammar, an appositive is defined as a noun phrase that generally follows, but occasionally precedes, another noun phrase and renames or describes it.
Appositives are either restrictive, in which case they are essential to the meaning of the sentence, or non-restrictive, in which case they are not.
The appositives in the third example above are restrictive, as it is assumed that Bill has more than one friend, and there is more than one famous singer (compare restrictive clause).
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