Commas After Introductory Elements
Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence, including introductory words, phrases, and clauses
What a learner can do afterwards
- Place commas after introductory adverbs such as 'However' or 'Therefore' at the start of sentences
- Use commas after introductory prepositional phrases like 'In the morning' or 'After the game'
- Punctuate introductory dependent clauses correctly such as 'When the bell rang, we left'
The lesson
Some sentences do not start with their main idea right away. They open with an extra word, phrase, or clause first, then the main sentence follows. Whenever that happens, place a comma right after the opening part, before the main sentence begins.
Look at this sentence: However, the crowd stayed quiet. The word "However" is the opening part. A comma goes right after it, then the main sentence, "the crowd stayed quiet," takes over.
Longer openings follow the same rule. In "After the final whistle, the fans cheered," the phrase "After the final whistle" is the opening part, so the comma comes right after it. The rule also covers a whole opening clause, like "When the bell rang, we packed up our books."
Quick test: read the opening part by itself. If it sounds like a beginning that needs the rest of the sentence to finish the thought, such as "Therefore" or "In the morning," put the comma right where that opening part ends.
A word, phrase, or clause that opens a sentence gets a comma right after it, before the main sentence continues.
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