essential & nonessential

1. Appositive & Appositive
Phrases
Today is really a comma lesson, so
get ready…

2. Appositive
• An appositive is a noun or pronoun that
usually comes directly after another word in
a sentence to identify or provide further
information about that word.
– The teacher Mrs.Vogt loves to teach grammar.
– Mrs. Vogt, a Harry Potter addict, reads lots of
books.

3. Appositive Phrase
• An appositive phrase is made up of an
appositive and all of its modifiers. The
modifiers may be single words, phrases, or
clauses.
– Harry Potter, an only child, fought He-Who-
Must-Not-Be-Named.
– The uncle of a famous wizard, Vernon hated
magic.
– The character Hermione studied all the time.

4. Essential Appositive
• An essential appositive must be in the
sentence for the sentence meaning to be clear.
– It is not set off with commas!
– The guidance counselor Mrs. Zipprich is very
knowledgeable about colleges and the ACT.

5. Nonessential Appositive
• A nonessential appositive is one that is not
needed to make the meaning of a sentence
clear. If it were omitted from the sentence, the
basic meaning of the sentence would still be
clear.
– Commas are required!
– The guidance counselor for seniors and juniors,
Mrs. Zipprich, knows a lot about the ACT and
college.