How to Use an Appositive with a Comma

Comma chasing is a painfully well-practiced art among writers and editors. These devilish little puncutation marks are often misplaced or omitted and have often caused an inordinate amount of trouble. Learning how to properly use commas with appositives will clarify at least one type of problem spot and help you feel more confident in your comma placement.

Instructions

1. Know what an appositive is. An appositive is a noun (or noun phrase) that immediately follows another noun (or noun phrase) and further defines or identifies it. In grammar, two nouns that are appositions of each other refer to the same thing. An example: A picture of George Washington, our first president, appears on the one dollar bill. The phrase "our first president" is an appositive of the proper noun George Washington.

2. Determine whether the appositive is restrictive or non-restrictive. If a phrase is non-restrictive, it can be left out. The information it contains is supplementary rather than essential. Restrictive phrases are essential to the meaning.

3. Use commas to frame non-restrictive phrases only. No commas should appear around restrictive phrases. Some examples include: "Sandra Smith, the committee chair, spoke first" (non-restrictive); and "The man wearing a brown hat is my father" (restrictive).

Tips & Warnings

• Do not confuse the word "apposition" with the word "opposition." Appose means to be close or proximate; opposition means conflict or resistance.