Unit 60: Appositives and Appositive Phrases

Exercise 1: Identifying Appositives

Circle the appositive or appositive phrase in each sentence. Underline the noun it renames.

1. Mount Everest, the mountain with the highest altitude in theworld, is located in the Himalayas.
2. Myphysics teacher, Mr. Manchester, is out sick today.
3. The guitar, my favorite instrument, is easy to play.
4. Austin, the capital of Texas, is centrally located.
5. Have you read The Bell Jar, a book by Sylvia Plath?
6. Junko Tabei, a Japanese mountain climber, was the first woman to scale Mount Everest.
7. Georgia,the Peach State, was one of the original thirteen colonies.
8. My brother, Tyrone, is going to college in the fall.

Exercise 2: Matching Nouns and Appositives

Match the noun on the left with the correct appositive phrase on the right.

Exercise 3: Adding Commas

Rewrite these sentences adding commas to set off the appositive phrases correctly.

1. One student a very hard worker got 60 signatures on the petition.
2. The subject of the petition a new cafeteria menu got a lot of attention.
3. Mr. Jones our science teacher helped us with the project.
4. We visited Hershey Pennsylvania the sweetest place on Earth.
5. My parents grew up in Washington the Evergreen State.
6. Derek Jeter an all-star shortstop played for many years.
7. The Morins our neighbors are moving next week.
8. Mauna Kea an inactive volcano is actually taller than Everest.

Exercise 4: Combining Sentences

Combine the two sentences into one using an appositive phrase. Use commas where needed.

1. Sophie is my cousin. She plays the violin well.
2. We had brownie sundaes for dessert. They are my favorite.
3. Have you seen Pedro? He is my parents’ friend.
4. I read a great book last week. It was called The Joy Luck Club.
5. Britney pulled a ligament in a race. She is a skier.
6. The Morins are moving next week. They are our neighbors.
7. Washington D.C. is a great place to visit. It is the capital of the United States.
8. Lansing is a city in Michigan. It is the capital.

Exercise 5: Essential or Non-Essential?

Decide if the appositive is essential (no commas) or non-essential (commas needed). Add commas if necessary.

1. The book The Giver is my favorite novel. (Essential)
2. My sister Tiana is in college. (Essential – implies multiple sisters)
3. My sister, Tiana, is in college. (Non-essential – implies only one sister)
4. The author Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn.
5. Thomas Jefferson the third president wrote the Declaration of Independence.
6. The movie Star Wars is a classic.
7. My best friend Paul is coming over.
8. Mr. Davis a wonderful teacher taught us math.

Exercise 6: Choose the Best Appositive

Select the best appositive to complete the sentence.

1. My dog, _____, loves to chase balls. (a. a golden retriever / b. runs fast / c. barks loud)
2. Paris, _____, is famous for the Eiffel Tower. (a. is in France / b. the capital of France / c. beautiful city)
3. The insect, _____, crawled across the leaf. (a. a fuzzy caterpillar / b. eating slowly / c. was green)
4. My favorite food, _____, is delicious. (a. tastes good /b. pizza / c. eating it)
5. Dr. Smith, _____,checked my vision. (a. the eye doctor / b. looking at eyes / c. glasses)
6. Our car, _____, needs new tires. (a. driving fast / b. ablue sedan / c. broke down)
7. The planet, _____, has rings. (a. spinning / b. Saturn / c. far away)
8. Tennis, _____, is fun to play. (a. a racket sport / b. hitting the ball / c. on the court)