Are the appositives essential or non essential?
1. My son, the policeman, will be visiting us next week.
2. The captain ordered the ship's carpenters to assemble the shallop, a large rowboat.
3. Walter, the playboy and writer, is very attached to his mother, Mrs. Hammon.
4. The actor Paul Newman directed only one picture.
5. Elizabeth Teague, a sweet and lovable girl, grew up to be a mentally troubled woman.
6. Sweetbriar, a company known throughout the South, is considering a nationwide advertising campaign.
7. An above-average student and talented musician, John made his family proud.
8. The extremely popular American film Titanic was widely criticized for its mediocre script.
9. The greatest American film ever made, Citizen Kane, won only one Academy Award.
10. 60 Minutes, the TV news magazine program, featured a story on the popular singer Whitney Houston.
Appositives are always non-essential. That's why there are commas around them.
See #4: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
Appositives can be either essential or non-essential. An essential appositive provides necessary information to understand the noun it modifies, while a non-essential appositive gives additional, non-essential information.
Here is a breakdown of the examples you provided:
1. My son, the policeman, will be visiting us next week.
Explanation: The appositive "the policeman" is non-essential because it provides additional information about "my son."
2. The captain ordered the ship's carpenters to assemble the shallop, a large rowboat.
Explanation: The appositive "a large rowboat" is non-essential as it provides extra information about "the shallop."
3. Walter, the playboy and writer, is very attached to his mother, Mrs. Hammon.
Explanation: The appositives "the playboy and writer" and "Mrs. Hammon" are non-essential because they give supplemental details about "Walter."
4. The actor Paul Newman directed only one picture.
Explanation: There are no appositives in this sentence.
5. Elizabeth Teague, a sweet and lovable girl, grew up to be a mentally troubled woman.
Explanation: The appositive "a sweet and lovable girl" is non-essential as it adds descriptive information about "Elizabeth Teague."
6. Sweetbriar, a company known throughout the South, is considering a nationwide advertising campaign.
Explanation: The appositive "a company known throughout the South" is non-essential because it adds descriptive information about "Sweetbriar."
7. An above-average student and talented musician, John made his family proud.
Explanation: The appositives "an above-average student" and "talented musician" are non-essential as they provide additional details about "John."
8. The extremely popular American film Titanic was widely criticized for its mediocre script.
Explanation: There are no appositives in this sentence.
9. The greatest American film ever made, Citizen Kane, won only one Academy Award.
Explanation: The appositive "Citizen Kane" is non-essential as it gives additional information about "the greatest American film ever made."
10. 60 Minutes, the TV news magazine program, featured a story on the popular singer Whitney Houston.
Explanation: The appositive "the TV news magazine program" is non-essential as it provides supplemental details about "60 Minutes."