Punctuating appositives is challenging! Commas or no commas? (Vocabulary note: In the sentence "My classmate Joe James brought me my mail," Joe James is an appositive for "classmate.")

You have two business partners. You make reference to one of them, Jim Rondell, in an email to an acquaintance. Which of the following sentences is correctly punctuated?

My partner Jim Rondell likes reading biographies.

My partner, Jim Rondell, likes reading biographies.

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

If you had only one business partner, you would use commas. Since you have more than one, you don't.

Technical explanation in case you want to research this: Use commas with nonrestrictive appositives, and don't use commas with restrictive appositives.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

If you had only one business partner, you would use commas. Since you have more than one, you don't.

Technical explanation in case you want to research this: Use commas with nonrestrictive appositives, and don't use commas with restrictive appositives.

Under what condition would the commas in this example be correct?

My colleague, Jean Smith, is a marathoner.

You have only one colleague.

You have multiple colleagues.

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

If you have more than one colleague, you would not use commas. That would be a restrictive appositive. If you have only one colleague, you would use commas. That would be a nonrestrictive appositive.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

If you have more than one colleague, you would not use commas. That would be a restrictive appositive. If you have only one colleague, you would use commas. That would be a nonrestrictive appositive.

Are the commas around the book title correct?

Matt has written four books. His first book, The Limitations of Lemons, was not a bestseller.

yes

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Since there is only one first book, the book title is framed with commas. It's a nonrestrictive appositive.

If "first" were removed, the commas would go away, because Matt has written multiple books:

His book The Limitations of Lemons was not a bestseller.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Since there is only one first book, the book title is framed with commas. It's a nonrestrictive appositive.

If "first" were removed, the commas would go away, because Matt has written multiple books:

His book The Limitations of Lemons was not a bestseller.

Ella has written seven books. Select the option that best describes the two commas around the book title below:

Her book, Peculiar Pies for Pi Day, was a bestseller.

correct and mandatory

correct and optional

incorrect

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The book title is an appositive. Since she has written multiple books, the title is a restrictive appositive—no commas. If she had written only one book, then you would need commas.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The book title is an appositive. Since she has written multiple books, the title is a restrictive appositive—no commas. If she had written only one book, then you would need commas.

Gary has had five different Spanish teachers. Is the punctuation below correct?

He has just realized that his first Spanish teacher, Señora Rosales, lives only one block from him.

yes

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Gary has had multiple Spanish teachers, but he's had only one first Spanish teacher, so the commas are correct. Señora Rosales is a nonrestrictive appositive.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Gary has had multiple Spanish teachers, but he's had only one first Spanish teacher, so the commas are correct. Señora Rosales is a nonrestrictive appositive.

How many appositives are there in the following sentence?

Zack, my best friend from elementary school, has just invited me to come over and watch the movie You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.

zero

one

two

three

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The two appositives are "my best friend from elementary school" and You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The two appositives are "my best friend from elementary school" and You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.

What type of appositive is Sophie Summers here? Assume the punctuation is correct.

Jan's neighbor Sophie Summers is in Qatar for the winter.

restrictive

nonrestrictive

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Sophie Summers is a restrictive appositive because there are no commas around it. Jan, like many people, apparently has multiple neighbors.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Sophie Summers is a restrictive appositive because there are no commas around it. Jan, like many people, apparently has multiple neighbors.

Is the appositive in this example punctuated correctly?

The senior class president, Jessica Meriwether, will travel to Sioux Falls next week to accept a writing prize.

yes

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Jessica Meriwether is a nonrestrictive appositive—there is only one senior class president—so the commas are correct.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Jessica Meriwether is a nonrestrictive appositive—there is only one senior class president—so the commas are correct.

Mark has written 203 poems. Is the punctuation in the following sentence correct?

His poem, "Roving toward Romance," was just rejected by another literary journal.

yes

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

There should be no commas around the poem title, because there is more than one poem, making the title a restrictive appositive.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

There should be no commas around the poem title, because there is more than one poem, making the title a restrictive appositive.

Are the commas in this example correct?

Head of engineering, Andreas Sacchetti, has just resigned.

yes

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

There is no appositive here. If there had been a "the" at the beginning, it would have been different and this would be correct:

The head of engineering, Andreas Sacchetti, has just resigned.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

There is no appositive here. If there had been a "the" at the beginning, it would have been different and this would be correct:

The head of engineering, Andreas Sacchetti, has just resigned.

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