Definition

A grammatical term that refers to a construction where two nouns or noun phrases are placed next to each other, with one explaining or identifying the other.

Example

In the sentence 'My brother, a talented musician, plays the guitar', 'a talented musician' is in apposition to 'my brother'.

Conversation

I was reading about linguistic structures, and I came across the term apposition.

Oh really? What does it mean exactly?

It refers to when two nouns are placed next to each other to explain the same thing, like 'my brother, the chef.'

That sounds interesting! I didn't know it had a specific name.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Apposition is formed from "ad-" (meaning to) and "positio" (from "ponere", meaning to place). The term describes the grammatical situation where two elements are placed next to each other in a sentence, often to clarify or define one another.

Memory Tip

Think of two elements being 'placed together' ('ad-' means to, and 'positio' means place) to clarify or define each other in a sentence.

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