An Appositively Wonderful Grammar Lesson!

Teaching grammar can be quite a challenge when you are trying to incorporate it within a literature unit. Because most literature textbooks simply stick to teaching figurative language and comprehension tools, grammar gets left on an island all alone. While in graduate school, I took a methods course that taught me how to take most grammar lessons and apply it to the literature that I teach each year (thanks, Dr. Barkley!). One of my favorite grammar activities to include in my literature units is teaching appositive phrases. 

What is an appositive phrase? 

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase placed next to another noun and accentuates that noun by providing more information. 

How do I teach it within my literature units? 

Because my students are reading Fahrenheit 451, I used this lesson just the other day as a mini-refresher session. 

I start off by giving my students 2 questions that they have to answer using complete sentences. 

1. Who is Guy Montag? 

2. Who is Guy's wife? 

1. Guy Montag is a fireman. 

2. Guy is married to Mildred. 

What is next? 

The students use the answer to those questions to create an appositive phrase. They combine their answers to make one complete sentence. 

Guy Montag, a fireman, is married to Mildred. 

The students now have a sentence that includes an appositive phrase. It is important to explain that an appositive phrase must exist within a complete sentence. Have the students check their work by removing the appositive phrase and make sure that the sentence is complete without the appositive phrase.