IDENTIFYING

EXTENDED
APPOSITIVES
KEY CONCEPT
-An appositive may be used as a literary device
that occurs before or after a noun or a noun
phrase.
-An extended appositive is a noun or a noun
phrase used to explain or define the word it
follows.
Writers sometimes place noun
phrases beside each other.
When one noun phrase is used
to define the other, that
specific noun phrase is used as
an appositive.
Examples:
Emilio Aguinaldo, president of the First Republic,
is the embodiment of our short-lived
independence.

The British actor David Tennant will take on the

role of Hamlet in the production of the Royal
Shakespeare Company.
There are 2 types of appositives:

1.Restrictive appositives
2.Non-restrictive appositive
Restrictive appositives
-are essential in understanding the
noun or noun phrase being focused on
- Sometimes are not separated by
commas but are linked with the
principal noun or noun phrase
Example:
The national hero Jose Rizal is loved by every
Filipino.

Without the appositive including Rizal’s name, it

is unclear who this national hero is.
Non-restrictive appositive
-provide information that is not
relevant in understanding the
sentence
- Are usually separated from the
principal noun or noun phrase by
commas.
Example:
Jose Rizal, the Philippine hero,
was acknowledged by the
Katipunan.
-the noun “Jose Rizal” does not need extra
information, but the author has used “The
Philippine hero” to describe it.
- the meaning of the sentence is clear even if the
appositive is removed.
-the main purpose of the appositive is to
provide additional detail without affecting the
intended meaning of the complete text.
An appositive, whether restrictive or non-
restrictive, allows writers to explain and provide
further information and helps in identifying
other nouns in the text. It also defines, explains,
and clarifies the meaning of a sentence.