The appositive phrase acts as a noun, a noun phrase, or a noun clause.  It appears next to another noun which it describes in a different way, and it is always separated by commas, and sometimes by dashes or parentheses. An appositive phrase allows you add more detail to a sentence and lend a clearer and more precise meaning to your statement. It really can be used to great advantage in written work. It can appear anywhere in a sentence, as long as it is next to the noun to which it refers. A good tool to recognize an appositive phrase is if you can remove it from the sentence and you are still left with a complete sentence.

examples of an appositive phrase

My eldest daughter, Elizabeth, is studying medicine. Elizabeth is the appositive phrase. Appositives are usually offset with commas, brackets, or dashes. If the appositive phrase is at the beginning of the sentence, we only have one comma, at the end of the phrase. For example: “Climate change, the change in global or regional climate patterns, affects everyone in every corner of the globe.” If the appositive phrase is removed from the sentence, the sentence is much less interesting.  Look at this: “Climate change affects everyone in every corner of the globe.” At the beginning of the sentence, this is what an appositive phrase will look like: An supporter of many charities, my aunt is a cherished member of her community. Appositive phrases are great if you want to vary the length of your sentences, add detail that reads effortlessly, and make interesting points about a place, character or idea in a fluid way. An appositive phrase allows you add more detail to a sentence and lend a clearer and more precise meaning to your statement. It really can be used to great advantage in written work. It can appear anywhere in a sentence, as long as it is next to the noun to which it refers.