Definition

Relating to a grammatical construction where a noun or noun phrase is placed next to another noun for clarification or identification.

Example

In the sentence 'My brother, a doctor, lives in New York', the phrase 'a doctor' is an appositive that gives more information about 'my brother'.

Conversation

I just learned about the concept of appositive phrases in grammar.

Oh really? What exactly does that mean?

It’s when you have a noun followed by another noun that explains it better, like a nickname.

That sounds interesting! I’ll have to pay more attention to appositive examples in my writing.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Definition

A word or phrase that is placed next to another word to explain or identify it more clearly.

Example

In the sentence 'My brother, a talented musician, plays the guitar', 'a talented musician' is an appositive that describes 'my brother'.

Conversation

I heard you were studying grammar recently.

Yeah, I was trying to understand what an appositive is.

Did you find it confusing?

Root Explanation

Appositive → It is formed from "ad-" (meaning to) and "positus" (meaning placed). The word describes a noun or noun phrase that is placed next to another noun to explain or identify it.

Memory Tip

Think of a noun being 'placed next to' another noun to clarify its meaning — that's what an appositive does.

Visually Confused Words