An appositive phrase is a group of words that gives more information about the noun just before the phrase.
Bob, my next-door neighbor, has a new dog.
Bob, the man next door, has a new dog.
Bob, my nephew, has a new dog.
In each sentence, the group of words after Bob is an appositive phrase. Notice that we place a comma before the phrase and after the phrase. The words in an appositive phrase are extra information, so we put commas on both sides to show that we could take the information out and the sentence would still make sense. The sentence would say Bob has a dog.
Here are some more examples:
Janet, my sister, lives across town.
Button, my cat, keeps me company.
Robert Frost, a famous poet, lived in New England.
An appositive phrase is a group of words without a verb that gives extra information about the noun that comes before. Always put a comma before and after the appositive phrase.
It’s your turn. Find the appositive phrase in this sentence. Dr. John, my dentist, always asks me about school. Did you figure out which two words give extra information? Good for you!