Grammar Time – Lesson 5: Appositives and Absolutes
Mr. Koslowsky
Appositives (APP)
Definition: An appositive (APP) is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it, providing additional
information about said noun. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words. Look at these examples:

The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.
o (The noun, “cockroach” renames/defines the noun, “insect”)



The insect, a large, hairy-legged cockroach that has spied my bowl of oatmeal, is crawling across the kitchen table.
During the dinner conversation, Clifford, the messiest eater at the table, spewed mashed potatoes like an erupting volcano.
Billy’s locker, the biggest disaster-area in the school, has a collection of overdue library books, dirty plates, computer
components, cat hair, and empty Pizza Pop wrappers.
Punctuation: The important point to remember is that an appositive is typically separated from the rest of the sentence with
comma(s). Note the punctuation in the following examples.
When the (APP) is in the INITIAL position, it looks like this:
 A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
When the (APP) is in the MEDIAL position, it looks like this:
 Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
And when the (APP) is in the FINAL position, it looks like this:
 Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player who charged the umpire and tried to
crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
Practice: Combine the following sentences into one, creating an appropriate Appositive phrase, using appropriate punctuation,
and placing the Appositives in all 3 positions (1. Initial, 2. Medial, 3. Final).
1.
Juan won the citywide spelling bee.
He is an excellent speller.
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Jack read my response to literature and noticed I didn’t use quotes.
He is my brother’s friend.
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2.
3.
I am going to read Twelfth Night.
Twelfth Night is a play written by William Shakespeare.
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Multiple Appositives:
Two, three, or even more appositives may appear alongside the same noun. As long as we don't
overwhelm the reader with too much information at one time, a double or triple appositive can be an effective way of adding
supplementary details to a sentence. Here’s an example:
A city of almost five-million people, Saint Petersburg, Russia's second-largest and northernmost metropolis, was designed
three centuries ago by Peter the Great.
Practice: Combine the following sentences into one, creating an appropriate Appositive phrase, using appropriate punctuation,
and placing the Appositives in medial position.
4.
Mr. Bun is a sneaky man.
Mr. Bun is a sinister man.
Mr. Bun is a serial killer.
Mr. Bun lingers in the alleys at dawn.
Mr. Bun looks to claim his next victim.
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Absolutes (ABS)
Definition: An absolute phrase (ABS) modifies noun by addressing the smaller parts of that noun as well as how those parts
exist. An easy way to think about it is that an absolute allows us to move from a description of a whole noun (person, place, or
thing) to one aspect or part of the noun. It may function in initial, medial, or final positions. Examples:


(ABS – Initial)
Their hairy legs curling into knots, the dead spiders lay on their sides.
Her arms folded across her chest, Mrs. Schanweterpants scolded the child.

(ABS - Medial)
The storks, their slender bodies sleek and black against the orange sky, circled high above us.

(ABS - Final)
The storks circled high above us, their slender bodies sleek and black against the orange sky.
o (“The storks” is the noun being modified, and the (ABS) “their slender bodies” is the smaller part of that
noun. The (ABS) also explains how those smaller parts exist “sleek and black against the orange sky.”)
Punctuation: Note the above sentences. An absolute is separated from the rest of the sentence with comma(s).
Practice: Combine the following sentences into one, creating an appropriate Absolute phrase(s), using appropriate punctuation,
and placing the Absolutes in all 3 positions (1. Initial, 2. Medial, 3. Final). You may have to eliminate some key words to
make them work.
1.
Odysseus washed up upon the shores of Ithaca.
Odysseus’ hands were bleeding from clinging on tightly to a piece of broken ship.
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2.
The caravan shimmered in the winter light.
Its numerous facets were gleaming.
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3.
Six boys came over the hill.
Their heads were down.
Their forearms were working.
Their breaths were whistling.
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YOUR TASK
Read the following rules carefully. In order to get the marks, you have to follow the rules to the letter.
RULES:
1. Write 10 Adverbial of Manner Phrases (AMP) sentences (see Grammar Time – Verbs + Adverbs handout, side 2).
a. Write 2 sentences with AMP in initial position, 2 with AMP in medial position, 2 with AMP in final position,
2 with THREE AMPs in final position, and 2 with an AMP in initial and final positions.
2. Write 10 Appositive Phrase (APP) sentences.
a. Write 2 sentences with APP in initial position, 2 with APP in medial position, 2 with APP in final position, 2
with TWO APPs in medial position, and 2 with multiple APPs wherever you choose to use them.
3. Write 10 Absolute Phrase (ABS) sentences
a. Write 2 sentences with ABS in initial position, 2 with ABS in medial position, 2 with ABS in final position, 1
with TWO ABSs in final position, and 3 with multiple ABSs wherever you choose to use them.
4. Your work must be typed, with each sentence properly labeled.
5. Your work must be edited by a peer, whose name must appear handwritten in the top right hand corner of your work.
6. You must peer edit someone else’s work, and the quality of your marking will effect your mark. You must sign your
name in the top right hand corner of said person’s work.
If you do all of these things, and do them well, I will inject your 3rd term mark with a healthy dose of grade A marks, thus
bolstering your overall grade to unimaginable heights.