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Grammar

Appositives

Noun or noun phrase that tells you more about a nearby noun or pronoun

Punctuation Rules

  • If the appositive is not essential to the meaning of the sentence but is an aside or parenthetical remark, then the writer should use punctuation to set off the appositive

  • If the appositive occurs before the noun it describes, set it off with a comma

  • If the appositive occurs in the middle of the sentence, set it off on both sides with the same punctuation - either dashes or commas

  • Dashes: more striking form of punctuation - tend to add emphasis to the appositive
  • If the apposite occurs at the end of the sentence, you can set it off with a comma, a dash (for extra emphasis), or a colon
    • The colon is necessary if the appositive following the sentence consists of a list of items