Appositives & connectors

Appositives

An appositive is a noun phrase that gives another name for the noun before it.

Rowdy, Junior’s closest childhood friend, feels hurt by Junior’s decision.

Who?

Rowdy

Another name for the same person

Junior’s closest childhood friend

The commas hold the appositive in place. It is a noun phrase, not a new complete sentence.

Which phrase can rename Mary in “Mary, ___, writes about her new life”?she lives in MontanaJunior’s older sisterbecause she wants a future

adds a contrast

Junior wants new opportunities, but he does not want to lose Rowdy.

shows a result

Junior tells Penelope he is poor, so she can understand what he has been hiding.

gives a reason

Junior feels guilty after the game because he sees how much the loss hurts Wellpinit.

names a condition

If we judge Rowdy only by his anger, we miss the dreams he shares with Junior.

means if not

We cannot test Mr. P’s claim unless we compare it with what Junior’s family does.

connects an event to what follows

When Junior admits the truth, his classmates have a chance to help.

takes a noun phrase

Despite their disagreement, Junior still wants a friendship with Rowdy.

takes a subject and a verb

Although Junior changes schools, he still lives with his family.

begins a new sentence here

Junior expects rejection. However, Roger offers practical help.