Appositives and Appositive Phrases

An appositive noun or noun phrase follows another noun or noun phrase in apposition to
it; that is, it provides information that further identifies or defines it. Such “bonus facts” are
framed by commas unless the appositive is restrictive (i.e., provides essential information
about the noun).

Ex: Hermione Granger, a witch at Hogwarts School, is accomplished at spells.

-My childhood friend, Anne-Marie, loved horses.

-The Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel’s masterpiece, can be found on the Champs de Mars.

Note: What Are Verbals and Verbal Phrases?

Verbals are verbs that act as another part of speech i.e. adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.
Meanwhile, verbal phrases contain verbals like gerund, infinitive, and participle.

Gerund Phrase

A gerund phrase is simply a noun phrase that starts with a gerund.

Ex: Walking in the rain can be difficult.

-Taking my dog for a walk is fun.

-Going for ice cream is a real treat.

Infinitive Phrases

An infinitive phrase is a noun phrase that begins with an infinitive verb.

Ex: To make lemonade, you have to start with lemons.

-I tried to see the stage, but I was too short.

-I went to Spain to study the language and culture.

Participial Phrases

A participial phrase begins with a past or present participle.

Ex: Washed with my clothes, my cell phone no longer worked.

-We are looking forward to the movie, having seen the trailer last week.
 Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and can act as a noun, an adjective or
an adverb.

Ex: The book was on the table.

-We camped by the brook.

-He was between a rock and a hard place.

-I waited for a while.

Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase is a group of words that describe a noun or pronoun in a sentence.

Ex: This pie is very delicious and extremely expensive.

-The final exams were unbelievably difficult.

-That movie is getting scarier and scarier.

-This stone is the heaviest of all.

-The music from next door was annoyingly loud.

 Adverb Phrase

Adverb Phrases Show How, Where, Why, When.

Ex: Meet me at the mall later this evening.

-In the forest, many creatures snarl and growl.

-Put the flowers by the birdbath.

A clause consists of a subject and a verb and is the smallest grammatical unit that
expresses a thought.

Examples of clauses:

-I eat bananas. = complete thought.

-Sharon speaks loudly. = complete thought.

It should be noted, too, that a clause in a sentence is different from a phrase in that it
must contain a subject and a verb.

Dependent and independent clauses

An independent clause can stand alone in a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb in
its smallest form.

Dependent clauses contain a subject and verb. However, they cannot stand alone.
 What Is a Noun Clause?

A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as a noun. Noun clauses begin with words
such as how, that, what, whatever, when, where, whether, which, whichever, who,
whoever, whom, whomever, and why. Noun clauses can act as subjects, direct objects,
indirect objects, or objects of a preposition.

Ex: Whichever restaurant you pick is fine with me.

-Be sure to send whoever interviewed you a thank-you note.

- I wonder how long we should wait here.

 Sentence types

Simple Sentences
A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb, and it may also have an object and
modifiers. However, it contains only one independent clause.
Ex: He organized his sources by theme.
-They studied APA rules for many hours.
- I played football and basketball.

Compound Sentences
A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses. These two independent
clauses can be combined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction or with a semicolon.
Coordinating conjunctions are and, but, or, for, nor, so and yet.
 She completed her literature review, and she created her reference list.
 He organized his sources by theme; then, he updated his reference list.
 They studied APA rules for many hours, but they realized there was still much to learn.
Note: Those clauses must be joined by a Subordinating conjunction
Subordinating conjunctions are: Although, As ,As soon as, Because ,Before ,By the time,
Even if ,Even though ,Every time ,If ,In case ,Now that ,Once ,Since ,So that ,Than ,The first
time ,Unless ,Until ,When, Whenever ,Whether or not, While, and Why.

Ex: Although she completed her literature review, she still needed to work on her
methods section.

-Because he organized his sources by theme, it was easier for his readers to follow.

-They studied APA rules for many hours as they were so interesting.

Compound-Complex Sentences
Note: Those clauses must be joined by a coordinating and a Subordinating conjunction.
Ex:
 She completed her literature review, but she still needs to work on her methods
section even though she finished her methods course last semester.
 Although he organized his sources by theme, he decided to arrange them
chronologically, and he carefully followed the MEAL plan for organization.
 With pizza and soda at hand, they studied APA rules for many hours, and they decided
that writing in APA made sense because it was clear, concise, and objective.

DIRECTIONS Read each sentence below, and look at the underlined word or phrase. Then,
choose the answer that identifies the type of word or phrase that is underlined. Do not
separately identify a prepositional phrase that is part of a larger phrase.

EXAMPLE
1. Satisfied sheep grazed peacefully on the lush grass.
a. gerund
b. infinitive
c. participle
d. appositive
Answer: C

____ 1. Chaco Canyon, once the home of the Anasazi people, is now a national park.
a. prepositional phrase c. gerund phrase
b. participial phrase d. appositive phrase

____ 2. There will, of course, be no talking during the film.

a. adjective phrase c. gerund phrase
b. adverb phrase d. participial phrase

____ 3. Make writing in your journal every day a priority.

a. appositive phrase c. gerund phrase
b. participial phrase d. infinitive phrase
____ 4. Even after two hours, they still had plenty left to say.
a. gerund c. participle
b. infinitive d. prepositional phrase

____ 5. Countless people owe their lives to the groundbreaking work of Charles
Richard Drew, M.D., a McGill University Medical School graduate.
a. gerund c. participle
b. infinitive d. appositive

____ 6. The tools in that box are used only for metalwork.
a. adjective phrase c. gerund phrase
b. adverb phrase d. participial phrase

____ 7. Did you enjoy the grilled vegetables?

a. gerund c. participle
b. infinitive d. appositive

____ 8. Surrounded by bushels of pole beans, the boys spent the day shelling them for
canning.
a. participial phrase c. infinitive phrase
b. gerund phrase d. appositive phrase

____ 9. I just called to say hello.

a. adjective phrase c. gerund phrase
b. prepositional phrase d. infinitive phrase

____ 10. Planning is an important part of every job.

a. gerund c. participle
b. infinitive d. appositive
EXAMPLE
1. Do you know how paper is made?
a. independent clause
b. adjective clause
c. adverb clause
d. noun clause
Answer: D

____ 11. As we drove across the prairie, thousands of stars glittered above us.
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 12. In this game, whoever gets the fewest points wins.
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 13. We were standing in the house where Thomas Edison lived and worked.
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 14. Know what you want.

a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 15. The sweater that you like is on sale until Saturday.
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 16. Mrs. Hatala, whose daughter we had met earlier, was once an opera singer.
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause
____ 17. These gears will not work properly unless they are oiled.
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 18. He said hello as if he had always known them.

a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 19. When Jewish children turn thirteen, the boys come of age in a ceremony called
“bar mitzvah,” and girls assume religious responsibility at their “bat mitzvah.”
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

____ 20. The chiles, which were not bright red, were ready for harvesting.
a. independent clause c. adverb clause
b. adjective clause d. noun clause

DIRECTIONS Read each sentence below. Then, choose the answer that identifies the type of
sentence.

EXAMPLE
1. Before the sun rises, she runs two miles or does calisthenics.
a. simple sentence
b. compound sentence
c. complex sentence
d. compound-complex sentence
Answer: C

____ 21. Will it snow this weekend?

a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence
____ 22. Twin fawns slept in the tall grass while their mother kept watch.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence

____ 23. Joe wrote most of the story, but Kevin will read it to the class because Joe is
too nervous.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence

____ 24. Slaves from Africa gave the peanut its common name in the South—goober.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence

____ 25. Cork trees require twenty years of care before they may be stripped of their
bark, but then they may yield another harvest in only eight years.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence

____ 26. The hikers could easily see layers of colored rock along the cliff where the
riverbed turned sharply.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence

____ 27. Mercury is a poisonous metal, yet it has many practical uses.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence

____ 28. A line of dump trucks rolled up the street, and the neighbors came out and
watched them.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence
____ 29. I had no idea just how large a battleship is until I saw one.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence

____ 30. At the end of the Civil War, General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered the last
Confederate army in the field.
a. simple sentence c. complex sentence
b. compound sentence d. compound-complex sentence