When we use two noun phrases (np) next to each other in a clause, and they refer to the same person or thing, we call this apposition:
[NP 1]The living room,[NP 2]the biggest room in the house, looks out on to a beautiful garden.(The living roomandthe biggest room in the houseare the same room.)
[NP 1]Timothy,[NP 2]their youngest child, is very musical.(Timothyandtheir youngest childare the same person.)
The second noun phrase tells us something more about the first noun phrase (its identity or its qualities). We can also reverse the order of the phrases:
[NP 1]The biggest room in the house,[NP 2]the living room, looks out on to a beautiful garden.
[NP 1]Their youngest child,[NP 2]Timothy, is very musical.
Types of apposition
In writing, we often separate the noun phrases by commas. We do this when the second noun phrase gives extra information which is not necessary to identify the person or thing:
Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city, has a population of around 450,000.(Scotland’s capitalcityis extra information which is not necessary to identify Edinburgh.)
Sometimes the second noun phrase contains information which specifies which person or thing we are referring to from a number of possible people or things. In these cases, we don’t use a comma.
commas | no commas |
|
|
See also:
Relative clauses: defining and non-defining