Professional Communication Skills Practice Test: Grammar - Apposition — Flashcards

Apposition is a grammatical construction that involves placing two elements next to each other. The elements are usually noun phrases, and one element identifies the other in a different way.
In apposition, the second word or phrase explains and has the same grammatical construction as the first. For example, in "Mary, my cousin, is here," "my cousin" is in apposition with Mary.
In apposition, the second noun phrase tells us more about the first noun phrase. For example, in "Dorothy, their youngest child, is very musical," the second noun phrase tells us something more about the first noun phrase.

In apposition, commas and restrictive elements don't mix. When an appositive noun or noun phrase contains an essential element, it shouldn't be framed with commas. For example, "My friend, Amit, owes me hundred dollars".