Example of an Appositive Noun

An example of an appositive noun will make the phrase "appositive" sound much less intimidating. Appositives are used in everyday language all the time, in order to make a point more clear or to refer to an even more specific component of the noun.

What Is An Appositive Noun?

An appositive generally implies the word "noun," so we can just refer to an appositive noun as an appositive. An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that renames a noun that is right beside it. For example, if you said "The boy ran down the street," adding an appositive could result in "The boy, who is the quickest, ran down the street." The sentence is still complete without the appositive; however adding the appositive presents more information about the particular character.

Example Of An Appositive Noun

The best way to become acquainted with any part of speech is to practice constantly, and to use the part of speech appropriately. Therefore, frequently reviewing an example of an appositive noun or two will help to enhance your study.

• Gus, Eric's black and white cat, slowly crept up behind the kittens.
• The bookshelf, a modern piece of furniture, was moved into the house first.
• The insect, a large and hairy creature, scared the children as they walked outside.
• My brother, a human garbage disposal, consumed five cheeseburgers in one sitting last night.
• Kara's bag, a display of her wealth, was stained with paint because she wasn't careful.
• They couldn't believe when the little boy stood up to John, the biggest bully in the whole school.
• Mara's sundae, a gigantic mountain of ice cream, started to melt when she took it outside.
• An enormous man with great strength, Henry was able to carry the entire bag of bricks by himself.
• Dressed in a turquoise ballgown, Jasmine was the bell of the ball.

Using Appositives

Now that you have read over some examples of appositives, you might be tempted to fall into a trap that many people tend to wind themselves in. Once learners are introduced to a new writing technique, that technique tends to find itself in all of their writing. However, that is not the proper way to use grammatical tools.

Sentence structures must be varied, in order to give flavor and voice to the work. A paragraph, poem, or essay that uses the same device constantly will often seem unsophisticated. Just to make it clear, that is not always the case. Sometimes advanced authors will repetitively use such devices in order to make a firm point. Beginners should steer clear though, because until their work has been given some credence by the literary community, they are likely to tend as if they do not know what they are doing.

If you're still unclear on how and when to use appositives, look back at the examples that were given. Imagine if you were reading a paragraph and every sentence was written in that way. Would it not almost immediately being boring and rote?