Appositives and Appositive Phrases

An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to identify or describe it. It always appears after the word it explains or identifies. The appositive is always a noun or a pronoun, and the word it explains is also a noun or pronoun. Look at the examples,

  •  You students should study hard.
  •  Our teacher, Mr. Stone, is very strict.

An appositive phrase consists of the appositive and its modifiers.

Appositive phrase = Modifier(s) + Appositive

Appositive phrase is usually placed after the noun which it modifies. However, is sometimes placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis. Look at these examples,

  •  My friend, a university teacher, won a scholarship to study abroad.
  •  English, my favorite subject, is not difficult to study.
  •  Angkor Wat, an ancient temple in Cambodia, is very famous.
  •  He is going to visit Siem Reap, an old capital city of Cambodia during the Angkorian time.
  •  Tom Teav, a Khmer love tragedy, has been studied and rewritten in English.
  •  Our class monitor, Mona will make a presentation today.


Note: COMMAS

The appositive is essential if the noun is too general without it; in this case, do not place commas around the appositive.

  •  Your friend Samnang is genius.
  •  We Cambodian should work harder in a more efficient way.

If the sentence would be clear and complete without the appositive, then commas are necessary; place one before and one after the appositive.

  •  Samdech Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, is going to win another election.
  •  Wat Phnom, the symbol of Phnom Penh, is a man-made hill.