Appositives & Commas An appositive is a noun or pronoun — often with modifiers — set beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it. Here are some examples of appositives (the noun or pronoun will be in blue, the appositive will be in red). Your friend Bill is in trouble. My brother's car, a sporty red convertible with bucket seats, is the envy of my friends. The chief surgeon, an expert in organ-transplant procedures, took her nephew on a hospital tour.

Helpful Hints Sometimes the appositive phrase comes before the noun or pronoun An appositive phrase : Renames the noun or pronoun Has no subject or verb Can be removed from a sentence still leaving it alone Can appear anywhere in a sentence

Another Helpful Hint My cousin Betty is a wonderful musician. There are no commas because Betty is a one word appositive

Click here to download Appositves & Commas: Practice Example Wrong: Romeo and Juliet a play about two young lovers was written by William Shakespeare a talented writer in the Elizabethan Era. Right: Romeo and Juliet, a play about two young lovers, was written by William Shakespeare, a talented writer in the Elizabethan Era. Click here to download Appositves & Commas: Practice