Setting Off Introductory Elements
For clarity and ease of reading, some introductory clauses and phrases are set off by commas from the independent clauses that follow them. These include adverb clauses and phrases, participial phrases, absolute phrases, appositive phrases, etc.
| ADVERB CLAUSE: | If Ernest Hemingway had written comic books, they would have been just as good as his novels. (Stan Lee) After the rains came, the country turned green. |
| ADVERB PHRASE : | For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible. (Maya Angelou) |
| PARTICIPIAL PHRASE | Jogging through the park, I was unexpectedly caught in a downpour. |
| ABSOLUTE PHRASE | His hat pushed back on his forehead,he walked down the road whistling. (Maya Angelou) |
| APPOSITIVE PHRASE | A student of human frailty, she probably knew deep in her soul that he was one of life’s losers. (Russell Baker) |
| PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE | During the first half of our trip down the Mississippi,all five of us were seasick. In Paris, jaywalking is a misdemeanor. |
Introductory Adverb Clauses
Introductory adverb clauses, including elliptical clauses, and generally set off from the rest of the sentence by commas.
Note: An adverb clause at the end of the sentence is notset off by a comma.
I drink plenty of water when I exercise.
Com
Punctuate the sentences with commas where they are needed.
1. Because of the warm weather the snow was not very good.
2. We saved a lot of money by not buying a new car.
3. Without skiing regularly no one can learn to do it well.
4. At the taxi company drivers are working overtime.
5. Except for Kay everyone wants to go skiing again next weekend.
6. Kay wants to go bowling instead of skiing.
7. In spite of my low salary I was able to send my son.
8. Last year there was a transportation strike here too.
9. At the top of the page one of the bus drivers is interviewed.
Com
Use commas where necessary in the following sentences.
1. I can’t watch the World Cup on TV because I have a test tomorrow.
2. If you leave now you’ll be on time.
3. Don’t get upset if your team loses the game.
4. Get something for Ken at the souvenir shop if you have time.
5. As soon as you get to the airport give me a call.
6. We’re planning to have dinner together after we watch the game.
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7. Even if you don’t have time you’d better get something for Ken.
8. I can’t take you to the airport but I can pick you up.
9. Although I can’t take you to the airport I can pick you up when you come back.
Introductory Phrases
An introductory phrase is usually set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
Thinking that this might be his last chance, Scott struggled towards the Pope.
During the worst days of Depression, movie attendance rose dramatically.
To succeed in a male-dominated field, women engineers must work extremely hard.
Note: Gerund phrases and infinitive phrases that serve as subjects are not set off by commas.
Laughing out loud can release tension.
To know him is to love him.
Com
Use commas as necessary after the introductory elements in each of the following sentences.
1. Having listened to his story the judge nodded and then dismissed the case.
2. When my breast began to swell with horrifying rapidity I searched the sewing machine drawers for clothes and ribbons to tie around them, to stop them. (Kate Simon)
3. With so many trees in the city you could see spring coming each day until a night of warm wind would bring it suddenly in one morning. (Ernest Hemingway)
4. In my senior year in theological seminary I engaged in the exciting reading of various theological theories. (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
5. Like so much of this country Banyan suggests something curious and unnatural. (Joan Didion)
Introductory Transitional Words and Phrases
When a transitional word or phrase begins a sentence, it is usually set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma. Among those are transitional expressions of chronology, such asFINALLY, FIRST, FIRST OF ALL, LAST OF ALL, NEXT, SECOND,etc.; modal transitional phrases such as CERTAINLY, IN OTHER WORDS, THEREFORE, etc.
Then I listen to the morning news or read the newspaper. Finally, I leave for school.
Certainly, any plan that is enacted must be fair.
In other words, we cannot act hastily.
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