An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that follows another noun in order to give more information about it.
Raul Sanchez, the company’s founder and CEO, announced he will retire at the end of the year.
The appositive phrase the company’s founder and CEO gives descriptive information about the main noun Raul Sanchez. The appositive phrase is set off by commas on both sides, making it a nonrestrictive phrase. This means you can remove the appositive phrase without changing the meaning of the sentence:
Raul Sanchez announced he will retire at the end of the year.
Here’s another example:
In his living room was a framed photo of Steve McQueen the director.
The appositive phrase the director in this sentence is restrictive, meaning that if you remove it, the meaning of the sentence would be altered:
In his living room was a framed photo of Steve McQueen.
Without the restrictive appositive phrase, the audience cannot know for sure whether the writer meant Steve McQueen the director or Steve McQueen the actor.
More Examples of Appositives
My brother David will be in town this weekend.
My brother, David, will be in town this weekend.
Even though the sentences above have identical wording, they have different meanings because the appositive is restrictive in one and nonrestrictive in the other. In the first sentence David is a restrictive appositive, implying that the writer has more than one brother but is only referring to David. In the second sentence David is a nonrestrictive appositive (set off by commas), implying that the writer has only one brother.
Dashes and parentheses can also set off appositive phrases:
The paperboy—a kid known for causing mischief—threw our paper high into the branches of our shade tree.
The author’s new book (her third in the past year), surprised her loyal readers.