It sets the stage for the main clause, allowing the reader to understand the context of what is happening. An introductory absolute phrase requires a comma to set it off from the main clause, as you can see in these examples: An appositive phrase offers an alternative description of a noun in the sentence. A prepositional phrase has two main parts. You can see how this works in this introductory phrase example: Galloping quickly, the horse reached the other side of the pasture in less than a minute. Simply put, an introductory phrase is a group of words that comes before the main clause in a sentence. You can see the proper punctuation in these examples: If an introductory prepositional phrase is made up of fewer than five words and does not require a pause, the comma is optional. A prepositional phrase is a group of words consisting of a preposition, its object, and any words that modify the object. However, like all aspects of the English language, there are a few exceptions. For instance, in the phrase “into the scary woods,” the word “into” acts as a preposition and the word “woods” acts as the object. Learn more about comma usage rules to become a confident writer. In the previous sentence, which of the following words is not the object of a preposition? C. That’s the monster of him I’m most afraid. Did he look over the window, under the window, around the window, or after the window? After earning a perfect score on the Writing SAT, I worked my way through Brown University by moonlighting as a Kaplan Test Prep tutor. There are several different types of introductory phrases, and there are specific rules for using these correctly. A preposition is a word that tells you where or when something is in relation to something else. The house without the porch belonged to Sally. 1) If you want to avoid criticism in formal writing, which sentence would you choose? Adjective prepositional phrase Sentence. A noun phrase performs the same function as a noun but the head in the phrase must be a noun! In the example sentence at the beginning of this article, the preposition is “through.” When you spot one of these connecting words (or series of words), you know that you’re dealing with a prepositional phrase. Sometimes, these introductory phrases start with “the” instead of “a” or “an.” If the phrase does provide important clarifying information, don’t use a comma. John found his homework under the bed. I will get to the conference on time. To use it properly, you need to use a comma after the introductory prepositional phrase to set it apart from the rest of the sentence if the phrase is longer than four words. Consider whether the phrase adds important clarifying information about the subject. No, in this case, he looked, Merriam-Webster argues that’s an old fashioned rule, https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/prepositions-ending-a-sentence-with, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/gerunds_participles_and_infinitives/index.html, https://examples.yourdictionary.com/prepositional-phrases-examples.html. All Rights Reserved, Introductory phrase horse galloping quickly. In the examples above, the prepositional phrases are tinted. Here’s what you’ll never see in a prepositional phrase—a subject. People especially dislike sentences ending with “of,” “to,” or “through.”. You may ask, what is a noun phrase?

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