A phrase is a group of words with no action. An appositive phrase is a group of words that gives extra information inside a sentence.
Use a comma with an appositive phrase to set the phrase off from the rest of the sentence. Look at these examples:
Bob, my next-door neighbor, bought a new car.
The appositive phrase in this sentence is the extra information: my next-door neighbor.
Notice there are commas on both sides of my next-door-neighbor.
We put commas on both sides of the appositive phrase because we can pull the phrase completely out of the sentence, and the sentence still makes sense. Bob bought a new car.
An appositive phrase is helpful because it gives more information. The phrase my next-door neighbor tells us more about Bob. Put commas on both sides of the appositive phrase to show that the phrase is extra information. The phrase inside the commas can be taken out completely, and the sentence still makes sense.
Here are some other sentences with an appositive phrase:
Sam, my younger brother, just graduated from college.
Mrs. Smith, my math teacher, scheduled a test for tomorrow.
John, the mail carrier in my neighborhood, always stops to chat.
Three important things to know about appositive phrases:
1. An appositive phrase is a group of words with no verb, so there is no action in the appositive phrase.
2. An appositive phrase gives extra information in a sentence.
3. We put a comma in front of and after the appositive phrase. The commas show that we can pull the phrase out and still have a complete sentence.