APPOSITIVES

An appositive is a noun phrase that explains or rephrases another noun phrase. It usually comes after the noun that it rephrases. It may also come before the subject of a sentence.

Buffalo Bill, a famous frontiersman, operated his own Wild West Show. (appositive following a

noun)

A famous frontiersman, Buffalo Bill operated his own Wild West Show. (appositive before the

subject)

Appositives are reduced adjective clauses that contain the verb to be. However, unlike adjective clauses, they do not contain a marker or a verb.

Oak, which is one of the most durable hard woods, is often used to make furniture. (adjective

clause)

Oak, one of the most durable hard woods, is often used to make furniture. (appositive)

Appositives are usually separated from the rest of the sentence by commas, but short appositives (usually names) are not.

Economist Paul Samuelson won a Nobel Prize in 1970.

In Structure items, all or part of an appositive phrase may be missing. In addition, the noun that the

appositive refers to or other parts of the main clause may be missing.

 EXERCISE 30

Focus: Completing structure problems involving appositives (Note: The focus for one or two items in this exercise is NOT appositives; these sentences are marked in the answer key with asterisks.)

Directions: Mark the answer choice that correctly completes the sentence.

1. The Democratic party is older than the other major American political party,

________________________.

(A) which the Republican party

(B) the Republican party

(C) it is the Republican party

(D) the Republican party is

2. _____ relations with friends and acquaintances, play a major role in the social development of adolescents.

(A) What are called peer group relations are

(B) Peer group relations are

(C) Peer group relations, the

(D) By peer group relations, we mean

3. Joseph Henry, ____________ director of the Smithsonian Institution, was President

Lincoln’s adviser on scientific matters.

(A) the first

(B) to be the first

(C) was the first

(D) as the first

4. The Wassatch Range, __________extends from southeastern Idaho into northern Utah.

(A) which is a part of the Rocky Mountains,

(B) a part of the Rocky Mountains that

(C) is a part of the Rocky Mountains

(D) a part of the Rocky Mountains, it

5. _____ Ruth St. Dennis turned to Asian dances to find inspiration for her choreography.

(A) It was the dancer

(B) The dancer

(C) That the dancer

(D) The dancer was

6. ________________ a vast network of computers that connects many of the world’s businesses, institutions, and individuals, primarily through modems and phone lines.

(A) The Internet,

(B) That the Internet, as

(C) The Internet is

(D) The Internet, which

7. In 1878, Frederick W. Taylor invented a concept called scientific management,______________ of obtaining as much efficiency from workers and machines as possible.

(A) it is a method

(B) a method which

(C) a method

(D) called a method

8. A group of Shaker______________ settled around Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, in 1805.

(A) members of a strict religious sect which

(B) whose members of a strict religious sect

(C) members of a strict religious sect,

(D) were members of a strict religious sect

9. In physics, __________ “plasma” refers to a gas that has a nearly equal number of positively and negatively charged particles.

(A) the term

(B) by the term

(C) is termed

(D) terming