Question

which terms describe the underlined portion of the sentence? choose three correct answers.

my mother, a kind, hardworking woman, played the piano and encouraged us to keep music in our lives.

appositive
clause
restrictive
nonrestrictive
phrase

Explanation:

1. Appositive: The phrase "a kind, hardworking woman" renames/identifies the noun "mother", which fits the definition of an appositive.
2. Nonrestrictive: It is set off by commas, and removing it does not change the core meaning of the sentence (we still know the subject is "My mother"), so it is nonrestrictive.
3. Phrase: It lacks a subject-verb pair, so it is a phrase, not a clause. It cannot be a clause (no verb) or restrictive (it is set off by commas and non-essential).

Answer:

• appositive
• nonrestrictive
• phrase