How to Use a Comma Correctly with an Appositive

Mary Cullen
Post by Mary Cullen
Originally published November 9, 2020, updated December 7, 2023
How to Use a Comma Correctly with an Appositive
Table of Contents
Table of Contents

An appositive is a word or phrase that refers to the same thing as another noun in the same sentence. It is placed beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it.  

Applying commas correctly with an appositive can be tricky. A comma is needed for clarifying information that is not essential to understanding the noun, and commas are not needed if the clarifying information is essential.

If you could remove the appositive without changing the meaning of the sentence, it is a nonessential appositive and should be set off with commas. If the appositive is necessary for the sentence, no commas are needed.

A mnemonic trick I use to remember this grammar rule is:

  • appositive could be removed = nonessential = comma needed (nonessential, needed)
  • appositive is necessary = essential = comma excluded (essential, exclude)


Nonessential appositives:

  • My sister, Frances, founded the company.
  • The painter, one of the city’s most promising young artists, began showing his work in galleries before he was sixteen.
  • Chocolate, my favorite treat, always makes me happy.

Essential appositives:

  • The venerated New York Times reported publishing revenue was down by 18% last year. 
  •  My assistant Carrie will call you tomorrow to resolve this problem. 
  •  Our colleague Bryan is ill.

For additional grammar instruction, consider our self-paced Grammar & Proofreading Course.
Tags:
Business Grammar
Mary Cullen
Post by Mary Cullen
Originally published November 9, 2020, updated December 7, 2023
Mary founded Instructional Solutions in 1998, and is an internationally recognized business writing trainer and executive writing coach with two decades of experience helping thousands of individuals and businesses master the strategic skill of business writing. She excels at designing customized business writing training programs to maximize productivity, advance business objectives, and convey complex information. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Rhode Island, an M.A. in English Literature from Boston College, and a C.A.G.S. in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of New Hampshire.
Follow me on my website Follow me on LinkedIn Follow me on Twitter
Related Articles

Peak, Peek, and Pique. How to Use these Homophones Correctly.

Posted by Tom DuPuis, Jan 17, 2018
Homophones are words that sound the same when spoken but have different meanings and spellings.

How to Use Hyphens Correctly in Business Grammar

Posted by Mary Cullen, Oct 21, 2020
Louise Julig wrote a wonderful post about hyphens in her Thoughts Happen blog. Business writing requires correct ...

How to Improve Your Written Communication Skills

Posted by Mary Cullen, May 04, 2021
Writing is an everyday activity for many people. So, you’d think that written communication would come almost naturally. ...
Get notified of new articles
Receive advice on business writing style, business email, business reports, proposals, grammar, and current business writing topics.

Guide-to-Business-Writing-CTA

Guide-to-Technical-Writing-CTA

 

Categories