Essential appositive usage
1: Although my sister Loretta disapproves of the on-court temper tantrums, she still thinks Robbie is cute.
Sister, a noun that can refer to many, many females, requires the clarification that the appositive Loretta provides. If we flip the order of the words, commas are necessary.
Source: grammarchomp
Question:
The resource suggests sister alone requires clarification in the form of a name, Loretta, regardless of how many sisters the writer may have.
But would it be grammatically wrong to isolate the name with commas if Loretta is the writer's only sister?
&
Here a) is clear but b) could be seen as a vague description like my sister, as a Victorian killer could refer to many like Loretta, so what is the distinction.
a) The writer of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, is hugely popular.
b) The Victorian killer, Jack The Ripper, was never caught.
Top answer
panda blue 483 But would it be grammatically wrong to isolate the name with commas if Loretta is the writer's only sister? No, it is just unnecessary. With proper names appositives do not need commas.
- panda blue 483 But would it be grammatically wrong to isolate the name with commas if Loretta is the writer's only sister?
- No, it is just unnecessary.
- With proper names appositives do not need commas.
- My brother John is tall.
- (This distinguishes John from other brothers, if any.
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panda blue 483But would it be grammatically wrong to isolate the name with commas if Loretta is the writer's only sister?
No, it is just unnecessary. With proper names appositives do not need commas.
My brother John is tall. (This distinguishes John from other brothers, if any. It does not tell the reader if John is the only brother.)
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