An appositive is a word or group of words that concisely identifies or renames another word in a sentence. (See Practice in Identifying Appositives.) The exercises on this page offer practice in building and revising sentences with appositives.
Instructions
Rewrite each of the following sentences (or sets of sentences) according to the guidelines in parentheses. (If you run into problems, review What Is an Appositive? and Building Sentences with Appositives.) When you're done, compare your responses with the answers on page two. Note that in most cases more than one combination is possible.
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- (Combine the two sentences below into a single clear sentence: turn the first sentence into an appositive.)
St. Valentine is the patron saint of lovers.
St. Valentine was never married. - (Combine the two sentences below by turning the second sentence into an appositive.
Lewis Carroll is the author of Alice in Wonderland.
Lewis Carroll was a mathematics lecturer at Oxford University. - (Convert the adjective clause--in italics--into an appositive by eliminating the relative pronoun and the verb "is.")
Willie Sarkis, who was a concert pianist in his youth, now plays for tips and drunks at the Rainbow Grill. - (Combine the two sentences below by treating "the pastoral god of fertility" as an appositive.)
Pan is the pastoral god of fertility.
He is commonly depicted as a man with goat's horns, ears, and legs. - (Combine the four sentences below into a single clear sentence; create an appositive out of the words in italics, and place the appositive at the start of your new sentence.)
Mr. Bun is a sneaky man.
Mr. Bun is a sinister man.
Mr. Bun lingers in the alleys at dawn.
Mr. Bun creeps along the front walk every evening. - (Combine the sentences below by turning the first sentence into an appositive; place it after the word "Hawaii," and set it off with dashes.)
Hawaii is an island far distant from the major sources of pollution.
The filth in the air over Hawaii has increased dramatically over the past 30 years. - (Rewrite the sentence below so that the appositive appears at the end.)
The final gift--hope--lay at the bottom of Pandora's box. - (Combine the two sentences below by turning the second sentence into an appositive. Repeat the word "laws" and place the appositive at the end of the sentence.)
Folks are pressing for new laws designed to restrict hunting.
These are laws that have nothing to do with game protection or safety. - (Combine the sentences below by turning the first sentence into a negative appositive.)
Merdine was never a threat to anyone.
Merdine talked tough and walked with a swagger. - (Combine the two sentences below by turning the second sentence into an appositive.)
Madge and I strolled through the graveyard.
The graveyard is the most peaceful spot in town. - (Combine the following sentences into one clear sentence: turn the first three sentences into a list appositive.
Jackie Robinson was a fierce competitor.
Jackie Robinson was a daring runner.
Jackie Robinson was a solid hitter.
Jackie Robinson led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six World Series in his ten years with the team. - (Combine the following sentences into one clear sentence: turn sentences two through seven into a list appositive.
It was the kind of home that gathers memories like dust.
It was a place filled with laughter.
It was a place filled with play.
It was a place filled with pain.
It was a place filled with hurt.
It was a place filled with ghosts.
It was a place filled with games.
When you're done, compare your responses with the answers on page two.
