The word apposition can emphasize that it is a term whose etymological origin is 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 “to put”.
-The suffix “-tio”, which is used to indicate “action and effect”.
Apposition is called 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 identical class for the conformation of a unit in which the second element is in charge of specifying the first.
Appositions can include elements with an identical or different grammatical value. Depending on the case, it can be a noun, an adjective, a pronoun or another kind of word. Sometimes articles or prepositions are used between the elements.
“The idiot of Augustine” is an example of apposition, consisting of an adjective (“idiot”) and its own noun (“Augustine”), as well as an article (“he”) and a preposition (“of”). Appositions also allow linking a generic noun to a proper name: “Lago Nahuel Huapi” (“lake” + “Nahuel Huapi”).
In addition to what has been indicated so far, we can highlight the existence of two fundamental types of apposition:
-The explanatory one, characterized by the fact that it provides clarifying and additional information to the noun. Keep in mind that when you go in the middle of a sentence, it is usual that it is established between commas. Examples of this kind of apposition is “Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish writer, is the author of Don Quixote”; Felipe VI, the king of Spain, attends an Ibero-American summit; Villanueva del Duque, Cordovan population of 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 becomes a complement to the name. An example of that would be “Aunt Eva”, “Professor Manuel”, “the temporary contract”…
In certain cases, the appositions are unnecessary since the noun itself is defined by itself. If someone says 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” (apposition consisting of “day” and “Tuesday”) because “Tuesday” is always a “day” (and not a “week” or ” month ”, for example).
Other examples of appositions are the following:
-Manolo, the butcher, has become a father because his wife has just given birth.
-The Red Mountain, summit of Lanzarote, allows you to enjoy spectacular views.
