The term "Patriots' Day" functions as a proper noun. It is the specific name given to a particular civic observance. The additional phrase "the holiday" acts as an appositive, which renames or further clarifies the noun it follows, but does not alter the primary term's grammatical classification.
A proper noun is a name used for an individual person, place, or, in this case, a unique event or day. It is distinguished from a common noun (like "holiday" or "celebration") by its specificity and the requirement that it be capitalized. In grammatical analysis, "Patriots' Day" occupies a noun slot within a sentence, capable of serving as the subject, direct object, or object of a preposition. For example, in the sentence "Patriots' Day occurs in April," the term is the subject.
For the purpose of writing an article, recognizing "Patriots' Day" as a proper noun is fundamentally important for ensuring correct capitalization and grammatical usage. It dictates that the term will be treated as a singular entity and a formal name throughout the text, which is essential for maintaining a professional and accurate tone. This classification governs its interaction with other parts of speech and its placement within sentence structures.
