Writing Help 129 | - Freelance Writer
Mar 29, 2013 | #1
Using Advanced Rhetorical Devices to Surprise and Delight
Many rhetorical devices share a name with and are based on terms used in grammar and linguistics, and apposition is no exception. Like several of the terms we have discussed most recently, apposition relies on repetition and reinforcement to make its point, though strictly speaking, it is not redundant in the same way. Apposition works with equivalents in close proximity, but each adds something different to the sentence. So, rather than pure redundancy, we are left with two descriptions of the same entity, the first of which usually gives the least information, most often just a name or simple title, and the second of which tells us something more about the named entity, often describing or defining it further.
An example or three is always helpful when learning new terms, and the following sentences use apposition correctly in slightly different ways:
"My father, an engineer, believes that efficiency is the most important thing."
"His brother Bill is really stupid."
"Mary's claim that human life came from apes in the sea has been wildly debated."
Your attention has undoubtedly been drawn to the unusual formatting, so allow me to explain that first. In all three examples, the first term of the apposition is bolded, while the second term is set in italics. Looking at the examples in order, we can see that sentence one begins with an individual, my father. The next part of the sentence set off by commas, an engineer, is a phrase that describes what the father does for a living. Notice that there are no connecting words between my father and an engineer, resulting in a shorter sentence in which either phrase (or more properly both) can be considered the subject. Since both refer to the same actual entity, this poses a problem neither in terms of grammatical accuracy nor with regard to comprehensibility. This example is one of the most common types of apposition, and as we will see in an upcoming article, it also provides a good example of parenthesis.
The second example is so quick and common that it is easy to miss, but if we look closely (especially with the vibrant formatting) we can see that the same principles underlie this sentence as do the previous one. His brother leads the sentence, and this is obviously a label applied to some person. Next, we see the word Bill, again obviously a label applied to a person, more specifically a proper noun. So, because we have two different labels or descriptions which refer to the same thing (that being the subject of the sentence) we have another, more subtle case of apposition. There does not need to be a separation between the appositive terms with commas or other words in order to make an apposition work. As long as both terms take on the same role in the sentence (in this case, both are part of the subject), and restate the entity in question in different terms, it is a case of apposition.
The final example is slightly more complex than the previous two, but it nonetheless qualifies as an example of apposition. Again, the lead bold term, Mary's claim, is a description of or label for something that Mary has stated. The next word, that, links this to what comes next, bridging the gap and making that entire phrase from Mary's to sea one large subject. The bolded terms name the entity in question, while the italicized phrase provides an elaborative description of the named entity. In this example, as in all those above, you can remove either the bolded or italicized part of the sentence and still be saying essentially the same thing. However, by doing so you remove the interesting qualification, and while you might have a sentence that is technically correct, you are missing a layer of meaning that, depending on the context, could be of vital importance.
Apposition
Many rhetorical devices share a name with and are based on terms used in grammar and linguistics, and apposition is no exception. Like several of the terms we have discussed most recently, apposition relies on repetition and reinforcement to make its point, though strictly speaking, it is not redundant in the same way. Apposition works with equivalents in close proximity, but each adds something different to the sentence. So, rather than pure redundancy, we are left with two descriptions of the same entity, the first of which usually gives the least information, most often just a name or simple title, and the second of which tells us something more about the named entity, often describing or defining it further.
An example or three is always helpful when learning new terms, and the following sentences use apposition correctly in slightly different ways:"My father, an engineer, believes that efficiency is the most important thing."
"His brother Bill is really stupid."
"Mary's claim that human life came from apes in the sea has been wildly debated."
Your attention has undoubtedly been drawn to the unusual formatting, so allow me to explain that first. In all three examples, the first term of the apposition is bolded, while the second term is set in italics. Looking at the examples in order, we can see that sentence one begins with an individual, my father. The next part of the sentence set off by commas, an engineer, is a phrase that describes what the father does for a living. Notice that there are no connecting words between my father and an engineer, resulting in a shorter sentence in which either phrase (or more properly both) can be considered the subject. Since both refer to the same actual entity, this poses a problem neither in terms of grammatical accuracy nor with regard to comprehensibility. This example is one of the most common types of apposition, and as we will see in an upcoming article, it also provides a good example of parenthesis.
The second example is so quick and common that it is easy to miss, but if we look closely (especially with the vibrant formatting) we can see that the same principles underlie this sentence as do the previous one. His brother leads the sentence, and this is obviously a label applied to some person. Next, we see the word Bill, again obviously a label applied to a person, more specifically a proper noun. So, because we have two different labels or descriptions which refer to the same thing (that being the subject of the sentence) we have another, more subtle case of apposition. There does not need to be a separation between the appositive terms with commas or other words in order to make an apposition work. As long as both terms take on the same role in the sentence (in this case, both are part of the subject), and restate the entity in question in different terms, it is a case of apposition.
The final example is slightly more complex than the previous two, but it nonetheless qualifies as an example of apposition. Again, the lead bold term, Mary's claim, is a description of or label for something that Mary has stated. The next word, that, links this to what comes next, bridging the gap and making that entire phrase from Mary's to sea one large subject. The bolded terms name the entity in question, while the italicized phrase provides an elaborative description of the named entity. In this example, as in all those above, you can remove either the bolded or italicized part of the sentence and still be saying essentially the same thing. However, by doing so you remove the interesting qualification, and while you might have a sentence that is technically correct, you are missing a layer of meaning that, depending on the context, could be of vital importance.