Apposition is a figure of speech, in which two elements are placed side by side, with the second element serving to define or modify the first (ex: "My wife, a nurse by training.."). It is a type of hyperbaton, or a figure of disorder, in that it disturbs the flow of the sentence.

While this device is quite common in modern prose, it has been pointed out (Corbett), that it is rarely used in impromptu speech, which tends to make greater use of parenthesis. In ordinary speech, the preceding example would more likely be stated as "My wife, who is a nurse by training,..." As this shows, apposition often results when the verbs in supporting clauses are eliminated to produce shorter descriptive phrases.

More traditionally, the Latin term appositio was used, but the English form is now more commonly used. It is derived from Latin: ad (“near”) and positio (“placement”)

Examples

• My friend John
• John, my best friend in high school...
• John and Bob, both friends of mine...
• Your excuse, that your dog ate your homework, is pretty unbelievable...
• His life, despite all its poverty of material possession, was rich in spirit...
• You naughty boy, you.

References

Corbett, Edward P.J. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. Oxford University Press, New York, 1971.

External Links

Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar, section 282

See Also

• Figure of Speech
• Hyperbaton