My mom & I are having trouble with appositives & predicate nominatives which function as nouns. We would like a definition or description of how to recognize them. Thanks!

Here are two sites that are excellent explanations:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/596/1

http://www.geocities.com/mshayes611/Predicate_Nominatives.htm

The easiest explanation is this example.

My brother, Tom, is a pest. <G>

Tom is the noun following the subject brother that identifies "brother". Pest is a noun after the "being verb" is... which is identical to brother.

A predicate noun is always after a LINKING VERB.

An appositive is always right after the noun that it identifies.

http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/appositive.htm

http://www.grammaruntied.com/nouns/PredicateN.html

Study these sites.

http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/appositive.htm

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/596/1

http://www.geocities.com/mshayes611/Predicate_Nominatives.htm

http://www.geocities.com/mshayes611/Predicate_Nominatives.htm

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Appositives and predicate nominatives can sometimes be tricky to identify, but I can certainly help you with that! Let's start by understanding what they are.

1. Appositives: An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that describes or renames another noun right beside it. It provides additional information about the noun it follows.

To recognize an appositive, look for a noun phrase that gives more detail or explains the noun it follows. The appositive is typically set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses. Here's an example:

- My friend Anna, an avid reader, is always immersed in books.
In this sentence, the appositive "an avid reader" provides more information about the noun "Anna."

2. Predicate Nominatives: A predicate nominative is a noun or noun phrase that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject of the sentence.

To identify a predicate nominative, first find the linking verb in the sentence (e.g., be, seem, become). Then look for a noun or noun phrase that comes after the linking verb and refers to the subject of the sentence. Here's an example:

- The winner of the contest is Mark.
In this sentence, "Mark" is the predicate nominative that renames the subject, "The winner of the contest."

Remember that both appositives and predicate nominatives function as nouns, providing additional information or renaming a person, place, thing, or concept. Paying attention to sentence structure, punctuation, and the relationship between words will help you identify them more easily.