Apposition

Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two or more elements, typically noun phrases, are placed side-by-side, with one element explaining or modifying the other. The modifying element is said to be 'in apposition' with the other. apposition adds detail, clarification, or an alternative description to the noun it refers to, and it often appears between commas, dashes, or parentheses. It provides extra information without fundamentally changing the subject or verb of the sentence. The key feature of apposition is the equivalence or close relationship between the elements involved.

Apposition meaning with examples

• My best friend, Sarah, is coming over for dinner tonight. Here, 'Sarah' is in apposition to 'My best friend', providing a specific name to identify which friend. This appositive phrase tells you who my best friend is and is set off with commas.
• The city of London, a global financial hub, is always bustling. 'A global financial hub' is in apposition to 'The city of London', offering extra description. This additional information is encased by commas to highlight its appositional role.
• Jane Austen—a celebrated novelist—wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'. The phrase 'a celebrated novelist' is appositive to Jane Austen, it offers additional info. Dashes create a stronger pause for emphasizing the appositional detail.
• We visited Paris (the City of Lights) during our trip. 'The City of Lights', provides an alternative name for Paris. The parentheses set off the appositive phrase giving more info without being central to the sentences meaning.