APPOSITIVE PHRASES Chawanna B. Chambers 4 October 2011

Write a story about this picture.

What are they? An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words.nounnoun phrase This technique is commonly found in the work of sophisticated writers.

Why do we use them? Keeps your writing from being boring!

Where do we place them?  Beginning (Sentence Openers)  One of eleven brothers and sisters, Harriet was a moody, willful child. Langston Hughes, “Road to Freedom”  Whom does the appositive rename?

Where do we place them?  Middle (Subject-Verb Splits)  A man, a weary old pensioner with a bald dirty head and a stained brown corduroy waistcoat, appeared at the door of a small gate lodge. Gordon Parks, “My Mother’s Dream for Me”  Whom does the appositive rename?

Where do we place them?  End (Sentence Closers)  The boy looked at them, big black ugly insects. Doris Lessing, African Stories  Whom does the appositive rename?

Essential versus Optional  Subject + Verb = Sentence  Appositives are NOT essential parts of a sentence.  If you remove the appositive from the sentence, what remains will still be a complete thought.

Example #1  It went away slowly.  It went away slowly, the feeling of disappointment that came sharply after the thrill that made his shoulders ache. Ernest Hemingway, “Big Two-Hearted River: Part I”  It went away slowly, the feeling of disappointment that came sharply after the thrill that made his shoulders ache.

Example #2  That night in the south upstairs chamber Emmett lay in a kind of trance.  That night in the south upstairs chamber, a hot little room where a full-leafed chinaberry tree shut all the air from the single window, Emmett lay in a kind of trance. Jessamyn West, “A Time of Learning”  That night in the south upstairs chamber, a hot little room where a full-leafed chinaberry tree shut all the air from the single window, Emmett lay in a kind of trance.

Stations  Task  Arrange the strips to create a complete sentence with the appositive properly punctuated.  Write the sentence (grammatically correct) in your Notes section.  Time  4 minutes per station

Imitations Model: Beside the fireplace old Doctor Winter sat, bearded and simple and benign, historian and physician to the town. --John Steinbeck, The Moon is Down Preposition article noun adjective noun verb, adjective conjunction adjective conjunction adjective, noun conjunction noun preposition article noun. Revise a sentence in your story to match this sentence structure. Be prepared to share.

Works Cited Kamballur, Jimmy. Thiruvathira Dancer, India. National Geographic Magazine. Kerala, Killgallon, Don. Sentence Composing for High School. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook Publications, Inc., Simmons, Robin L. The Appositive October 2011.