Lecture 9: Appositives and Parenthetical Expressions

9.1 What is an appositive?

Concept

• An appositive is a noun phrase placed beside another noun phrase to identify, rename, or explain it;
• It adds supplementary information and may be restrictive or non-restrictive;

Examples

• the number of papers including the keywords "environmental change”or “climate change” have increased rapidly since 2004.
• Here, the quoted phrases identify the specific keywords;

9.2 How to Use Appositives

Proper Nouns vs. Common Nouns

• It said that Internet Explorer 10, the version due to appear with Windows 8, would have DNT as a default.

Placement of Appositives

• Place the appositive next to the noun phrase it identifies or explains;

9.3 What is a parenthetical?

Parenthetical expression: a word, phrase, or clause inserted into a sentence and normally set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses;

9.3.1 Subject–predicate structure as a parenthetical expression

Meaning: Indicates "someone says, someone thinks..."

• No one, he submits, could have written it without possessing some power of reasoning.
• He submits: introduces the origin of the phrase;
• This speeding up of life, says the Futurist, requires a new form of expression.
• Accelerated life, futurists say, requires a new way of living;

9.3.2 Adverbs as Parenthetical Expressions

• Politics or, more broadly, the functioning of the state, is a major subject for journalists.

9.3.3 Prepositional phrases as parentheticals

• Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, appeared at political events.

9.4 Differences Between Appositive and Parenthetical Expressions

Relationship: The two categories overlap, but they are defined differently;

• An appositive explains or identifies a preceding noun;
• A parenthetical expression is defined by its position: it is inserted into a sentence and set off by punctuation;
• Example: Tony, my teacher, is coming here. Here, “my teacher” is both an appositive and a parenthetical element;
• Example: Tony, with his students , is coming here Here, “with his students” is a parenthetical element, but it is not an appositive;

Reading strategy: Non-restrictive appositives and parenthetical expressions are supplementary, so you may temporarily set them aside while locating the core clause.

• Paired commas or dashes often mark such material;
• Return to the parenthetical information after understanding the main structure;

9.5 Exam Room Guide

Strategy: How to Use the Core and Extensions of Simple Sentences to Improve Your Graduate English Score?

• Improve sentence reading and writing;
• Write sentences: from short to long;
• Girls playing games -> Girls playing games -> Lovely girls playing games -> Thousands of cute girls playing games -> After class, thousands of cute girls are playing games on the playground;
• Girls play games ->
• Girls are playing games ->
• Cute girls are playing games happily. ->
• Thousands of cute girls are playing games very happily. ->
• After class thousands of cute girls are playing games very happily on the playground.
• Grammar lets you expand a simple core systematically without losing control of sentence structure;
• Reading: In a long sentence, temporarily set aside optional modifiers, identify the core clause, and then add the modifiers back;
• Move from long to short to locate the core, then reconstruct the full meaning;

Sentence Reading Ability

• In response to these many unilateral measures, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is currently working with 131 countries to reach a consensus by the end of 2020 on an international solution.
• 1. Find the finite verb to determine if it is a simple sentence (one thing):
• In response to these many unilateral measures, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is currently working with 131 countries to reach a consensus by the end of 2020 on an international solution.
• 2. Simplify: Remove the extended content:
• Subject: the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);
• Finite verb phrase: is currently working;
• Core: The OECD is working.
• 3. Restore the modifiers and interpret the complete sentence;