Appositives and Absolutes

Apposition – placing two related things side by side or close together Appositive – a noun phrase that appears next to another word or phrase and refers to the same person or thing (referent)

Judah P. Benjamin, attorney general of the new Confederacy, reassured a New Orleans crowd in the winter of 1861 that was far from an “unmixed evil.” This sense of loss was brought out by one of my patients, Frank, a composer who suffered brain damage from the rupture of an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery. Gordon B, a professional violinist who wrote to me about tinnitus, or ringing in his ears, remarked matter-of-factly that his tinnitus was a “a high F- natural.”

Identify the appositives: “Shamengwa,” a short story by Louise Erdrich, is narrated by a tribal judge, a character whose name we never learn but whose voice we immediately trust. The narrator offers a loving description of Shamengwa, an elder in the village who is known for his talent playing the violin. When Shamengwa’s violin is stolen, suspicion falls on Corwin Peace, a young man with a record of criminal activity.

Combine the sentences by creating appositives My true friend was my fiddle, anyway. It was the only friend I really needed. His was a peaceful death. It was the sort of death we used to pray to Saint Joseph to give us all. Add an appositive after the noun in boldface. I’ll never forget the day I met my piano teacher. She gave me lessons in her living room.

Absolute Phrase a phrase that appears next to another word or phrase and refers to a different person or thing (referent) while describing the sentence as a whole

Corwin stood gazing at the coffin, the violin dangling from his hand. It was the middle of September on the reservation, the mornings chill, the afternoons warm, the leaves still green and thick in their final sweetness.

Corwin stood gazing at the coffin. The violin dangled from his hand. Corwin stood gazing at the coffin, the violin dangling from his hand. It was the middle of September on the reservation. The mornings were chill. The afternoons were warm. The leaves were still green and thick in their final sweetness. It was the middle of September on the reservation, the mornings chill, the afternoons warm, the leaves still green and thick in their final sweetness.

Combine these sentences by creating absolute phrases: He was asleep. His violin was next to the bed. The covers were pulled to his chin. He told his story in a measured voice. His hands rested in his lap. His listeners leaned forward to hear. Shamengwa sat by the lake in silence. Flies buzzed around his face. The wind boomed in his ears. The sun slowly dropped toward the horizon. Shamengwa was disheveled. His shirt was buttoned wrong. His face was unshaven. His breath was sour.