An explanatory apposition adds or clarifies information: "Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish writer, is the author of Don Quixote."
We can emphasize that the word apposition is a term whose etymological origin is found in Latin. Specifically, it derives from appositio , which is the result of the sum of the following components:
-The prefix ad- , which is equivalent to "towards."
-The word positus , which derives from the verb ponere , which can be translated as "put."
-The suffix -tio , which is used to indicate "action and effect."
What is an aposition
Apposition is a grammatical construction that consists of the development of a syntactic unit from two elements of the same class . In an apposition, a nominal group or a noun is followed by another of the same kind to form a unit in which the second element is responsible for specifying the first.
Appositions can include elements with identical or different grammatical value . Depending on the case, it may be a noun, an adjective , a pronoun or another type of word. Sometimes articles or prepositions are used between elements.
There are appositions that are unnecessary: it is not necessary to say "The city of Lisbon" since "Lisbon" is always a "city."
Some examples
"Agustín's idiot" is an example of apposition, formed by an adjective ( "idiot" ) and a proper noun ( "Agustín" ), as well as an article ( "the" ) and a preposition ( "de" ). Appositions also allow a generic noun to be linked to a proper noun: "Lago Nahuel Huapi" ( "lake" + "Nahuel Huapi" ).
Other examples of appositions are the following:
-Manolo, the butcher, has become a father because his wife has just given birth.
-The Red Mountain, the summit of Lanzarote, allows you to enjoy spectacular views.
Types of apposition
In addition to what has already been indicated so far, we can highlight the existence of two fundamental types of apposition:
-The explanatory , which is characterized by the fact that it provides clarifying and additional information to the noun. It must be taken into consideration that when it is in the middle of a sentence it is usually established between commas. Examples of this type of apposition are "Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish writer, is the author of Don Quixote" ; «Philip VI, the king of Spain, attends an Ibero-American summit» ; «Villanueva del Duque, a town in Cordoba in Spain, is a true beauty» …
-The specification . This is identified by being the apposition whose mission is to add information to the name or noun in order to differentiate it from others. It is a complement to the name. An example of that would be “Aunt Eva” , “Professor Manuel” , “the temporary contract” …
An unnecessary addition
In certain cases, appositions are unnecessary since the noun itself is defined by itself. If someone expresses that a sporting event will take place in "the city of Lisbon" , they are using an apposition ( "city" + "Lisbon" ). However, it is not necessary to add the generic noun "city" to "Lisbon" since, precisely, "Lisbon" is a "city" . It would be the same to point out that the sporting event will be held in "Lisbon" , without the inclusion of the "city" element.
Something similar occurs when a person reports that something will occur "on Tuesday" (aposition formed by "day" and "Tuesday" ) because "Tuesday" is always a "day" (and not a "week" or a " day"). month" , for example).