How to Punctuate Appositives
Using Commas to Separate Additional Information from a Sentence
Nov 7, 2008
Writing a sentence seems simple enough, but throw in extra information to mix things up, and sentence-writing can become a confused mess! Learning how to punctuate extra information will not only make writing less stressful, but it will also help readers understand and appreciate your writing even more.
Definition
So what exactly is an appositive, anyway? An appositive is any information (almost always a noun or pronoun, often with modifiers) that explains or adds to a noun or pronoun of a sentence but is not necessary for the sentence’s meaning: if you remove an appositive the sentence still reads coherently.
Jackson, the neighbor’s terrier dog, dug a hole in our backyard yesterday.
If the writer of the sentence removed the bit in commas, the sentence would still be acceptable, though readers might be curious of Jackson’s identity.
When to Use Commas
Anytime there is additional information about a noun that is not vital to the sentence, you should use commas before and after the extra information. If you are unsure of whether the information is or isn’t necessary, try removing the word or phrase from the sentence and see if the original meaning is preserved. An appositive is usually a definition, description, name, or side note to the word or phrase it adds to. You can also think of it as information often found in parentheses.
Janie, who was particularly moody that day, declared that stories were for children and stormed out of the room.
Although the appositive in the preceding sentence fits nicely, it is unnecessary, especially since it can be inferred from the sentence’s context.
The bed and breakfast, in a wooded area ten miles from town, sparkled spookily in the moonlight.
Similarly, we might lose a little context of why the bed and breakfast is spooky by removing the appositive, but the sentence’s meaning still holds.
When Not to Use Commas
If you use commas when the information is unnecessary, it only seems obvious that you wouldn’t use commas if the information is necessary to the sentence, right? Yes, but there are instances where the information could seem exemplary when it actually is needed for the sentence to read properly. If removing the appositive has the potential to change the sentence’s meaning, it is vital to the sentence.
The famous singer Britney Spears is constantly followed and questioned by the media.
If the name “Britney Spears” is removed from the sentence, it technically makes sense, but it does change the sentence’s context. We wouldn’t know to which famous singer the sentence refers.
Britney Spears the millennium pop sensation is a different person from Britney Spears the questionable mother.
In this example commas are not necessary around “the millennium pop sensation” or “the questionable mother” because both are vital for the sentence to make any sense. “Britney Spears is a different person from Britney Spears” would be the sentence’s meaning if both phrases were set off in commas.
When using appositives in writing, always remember to use commas to set off the addition from the rest of the sentence and check to be sure sentences are complete before setting off the additional information in commas.
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