Use appositive phrases as a sentence-expansion move (CCSS L.7.1.a)

Identify and construct appositive phrases — noun phrases that rename another noun, usually set off by commas. Recognize the appositive's function: add detail without starting a new sentence; add rhythm by varying clause length. Use appositives deliberately in analytical writing to incorporate author identifications, text titles, and key-term definitions inline.

Mastery threshold

85%

Min instances

Typical minutes

Spaced intervals (days)

1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60

Prereqs

Identify and produce the four sentence types — simple, compound, complex, compound-complex (CCSS L.7.1.a-b)

Successors

Common misconceptions

Confuses appositive with adjective phrase — an appositive is a NOUN phrase that renames.
Omits commas around non-restrictive appositives — comma rules differ for restrictive vs. non-restrictive.

Exercise pool (3)

Diff	Stem	Type
1	Underline the appositive phrase in each sentence. (1) 'Cisneros, a Chicana poet and novelist, writes vignettes.' (2) 'Angelou, the...	phrase identification
3	Combine each sentence pair using an APPOSITIVE phrase. (1) Cisneros writes vignettes. She is a Chicana poet. (2) Angelou uses concrete...	appositive construction
4	Combine each sentence pair using a DIFFERENT phrase type each time (appositive, participial, gerund, infinitive — pick one per pair,...	sentence combining with phrase variety