What Is an Appositive?
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames or gives additional information about another noun in a sentence.
👉 Example: My friend Emma loves detective novels.
(Emma renames my friend and tells us exactly who she is.)
Types of Appositives
1. Essential (Restrictive) Appositives
- These are necessary for the meaning of the sentence.
- No commas are used.
🔹 Example: The poet Langston Hughes was a leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
(If we remove Langston Hughes, the sentence becomes unclear — "the poet" could be anyone.)
2. Nonessential (Nonrestrictive) Appositives
- These add extra (but not necessary) information.
- Use double commas to set them off.
🔹 Example: Langston Hughes, a famous poet, was a leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
(If we remove a famous poet, the sentence still makes sense.)
The Importance of Double Commas
When using nonessential appositives, you must use a pair of commas — one before and one after the appositive. Leaving out the second comma can confuse readers.
🔴 Incorrect: My brother, a skilled musician plays the piano.
(Without the second comma, "a skilled musician plays the piano" sounds like a complete clause or sentence.)
✅ Correct: My brother, a skilled musician, plays the piano.
(The commas clearly show that a skilled musician is extra information.)
🚩
When the appositive comes at the beginning of the sentence, there is no need for a comma before the noun it renames because the main sentence is still grammatically complete without the appositive.
✅ Correct: A skilled musician, my brother plays the piano.
Why is there no comma before "my brother"?
- If we remove a skilled musician, we are left with My brother plays the piano, which is a complete sentence on its own.
- The introductory appositive is simply extra information, so we set it off with one comma after it, not before.
However, when the appositive is in the middle of the sentence, it interrupts the flow and requires two commas to properly separate it.
✅ Correct: My brother, a skilled musician, plays the piano.
