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Park sang joon Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

An appositive

He was about to say this to Tom when a sudden brawl broke out at the T station up ahead. There were cries of panic, screams, and more of that wild babbling?he recognized it for what it was now, the signature scribble of madness.
<From "CELL" by Stephen King>
I'd like to know if "what" is an appositive of "the signature scribble of madness."
Thank you in advance for your help.
  

Top answer

Yes, I’d say it was an appositive construction. The two noun phrases what it was now and the signature scribble of madness seem to be in apposition, with the latter being a supplementary (non-restrictive) appositive to the former. The usual test for this kind of apposition is whether the appositive NP could stand alone in place of the whole construction.

— BillJ

  • Yes, I’d say it was an appositive construction.
  • The two noun phrases what it was now and the signature scribble of madness seem to be in apposition, with the latter being a supplementary (non-restrictive) appositive to the former.
  • The usual test for this kind of apposition is whether the appositive NP could stand alone in place of the whole construction.
  • Your example would seem to pass that test: He was about to say this to Tom when a sudden brawl broke out at the T station up ahead.
  • There were cries of panic, screams, and more of that wild babbling - he recognized it for what it was now .
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7 Answers
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Yes, I’d say it was an appositive construction. The two noun phrases what it was now and the signature scribble of madness seem to be in apposition, with the latter being a supplementary (non-restrictive) appositive to the former.

The usual test for this kind of apposition is whether the appositive NP could stand alone in place of the whole construction. Your example would s
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BillJYes, I’d say it was.
I would also say so.
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BillJThe two noun phrases what it was now and the signature scribble of madness seem to be in apposition
Isn't it was now in apposition to what?
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[ What's a T station? ]
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AnonymousIsn't it was now in apposition to what?
No, I can't see that it is.
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Anonymous BillJThe two noun phrases what it was now and the signature scribble of madness seem to be in apposition. Isn't it was now in apposition to what?
No. In the NP "what it was now", the fused relative word "what" functions simultaneously as head of the NP and as predicative complement.

Think of it as "That which it was now __", where gap
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BillJNo. In the NP "what it was now", the fused relative word "what" functions simultaneously as head of the NP and as predicative complement.Think of it as "That which it was now __", where gap represents the PC.
I understand that a finite clause introduced by that and postmodifying a noun phrase is an appositive clause. I take it like that: what it
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