{"id":31600,"date":"2026-01-13T06:01:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T05:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=31600"},"modified":"2026-01-13T06:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T05:01:32","slug":"introductory-clauses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/01\/introductory-clauses\/","title":{"rendered":"Introductory Clauses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>An <strong>introductory clause<\/strong> is a dependent clause that provides context for the independent clause. Introductory clauses start with adverbs such as\u00a0after, although, as, because, before, if, since, though, until, when,\u00a0etc. Then, a comma is used to separate the introductory clause from the main clause.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sentence Structure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Introductory clause<\/strong> > comma (,) > <em>main clause<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>If you want to close the deal<\/em><\/strong>, <em>you must be patient with these clients<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Because our dog kept getting sick<\/em><\/strong>, <em>we brought her to the veterinarian<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Introductory Phrases<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An introductory phrase is not a complete clause but it sets the scene, time, or condition for the main action of the sentence. The different introductory phrases are&nbsp;<strong>prepositional, appositive, participial, infinitive,<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>absolute phrases<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.<strong> introductory prepositional phrases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Under the starry sky<\/strong>, <em>they promised eternal love for each other<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2.<strong> introductory appositive phrase<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A kind and obedient daughter<\/strong>, <em>Elizabeth is the apple of the eye of her parents<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. <strong>introductory participial phrase<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Walking regularly<\/strong>, <em>my grandparents stay healthy even in their advanced age<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. <strong>introductory infinitive phrase<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To be able to go home early<\/strong>, <em>you must be very efficient in doing all your tasks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5. <strong>introductory absolute phrase&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The snow falling heavily<\/strong>, <em>the children went back inside their house<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introductory Words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Words such as\u00a0<em>however, still, furthermore,<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>meanwhile<\/em>\u00a0are some common introductory words. These words connect one sentence to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The teacher graded the students\u2019 exams.\u00a0<em><strong>Meanwhile<\/strong><\/em>, the students read quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of the dishes looked appetizing.\u00a0<em><strong>Still<\/strong>,<\/em>\u00a0the skills of chef was put to test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No Comma Required<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some introductory elements do not need a comma. At times, the subject of a sentence looks like an introductory element when it is actually not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are cases where a comma is not required:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After a prepositional phrase with less than five words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After a restrictive appositive phrase<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When separating the subject and the predicate<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>All of the sentences below seem like they need a comma after the opening segment, (marked with an\u00a0x), but the first part of the sentence is actually the subject and not an introductory clause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gerund and infinitive phrases that function as subjects are easily confused with nonessential introductory phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enduring intensive training for and winning the ice skating competition [x] is one of the biggest accomplishments in Alexandra\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To plan a trip without doing research and planning ahead of time [x] is not advisable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Losing as much weight and sticking to her healthy habits [x] are some of her New Year&#8217;s resolutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An introductory clause is a dependent clause that provides context for the independent clause. Introductory clauses start with adverbs such as\u00a0after, although, as, because, before, if, since, though, until, when,\u00a0etc. Then, a comma is used to separate the introductory clause from the main clause.\u00a0 Sentence Structure Introductory clause > comma (,) > main clause. Examples: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[309],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Introductory Clauses | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/01\/introductory-clauses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Introductory Clauses | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An introductory clause is a dependent clause that provides context for the independent clause. Introductory clauses start with adverbs such as\u00a0after, although, as, because, before, if, since, though, until, when,\u00a0etc. Then, a comma is used to separate the introductory clause from the main clause.\u00a0 Sentence Structure Introductory clause &gt; comma (,) &gt; main clause. 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