Introductory phrases are groups of words that come at the beginning of a sentence, providing context or background information. They can set the stage for the main part of the sentence and are often followed by a comma. Let’s explore different types of introductory phrases with examples for simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

1. Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and provide additional information about time, location, or direction.

• Simple Sentence:
  • In the morning, I like to jog.
• Compound Sentence:
  • In the morning, I like to jog, and in the evening, I prefer to read.
• Complex Sentence:
  • In the morning, when the air is fresh, I like to jog.
• Compound-Complex Sentence:
  • In the morning, when the air is fresh, I like to jog, and in the evening, I prefer to read.

2. Participial Phrases

Participial phrases begin with a present or past participle and describe a noun or pronoun.

• Simple Sentence:
  • Running through the park, I felt invigorated.
• Compound Sentence:
  • Running through the park, I felt invigorated, and seeing the sunrise, I felt at peace.
• Complex Sentence:
  • Running through the park, I felt invigorated because the weather was perfect.
• Compound-Complex Sentence:
  • Running through the park, I felt invigorated because the weather was perfect, and seeing the sunrise, I felt at peace.

3. Infinitive Phrases

Infinitive phrases begin with “to” followed by a verb and can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

• Simple Sentence:
  • To improve my health, I started jogging.
• Compound Sentence:
  • To improve my health, I started jogging, and to relax, I began meditating.
• Complex Sentence:
  • To improve my health, I started jogging whenever I had free time.
• Compound-Complex Sentence:
  • To improve my health, I started jogging whenever I had free time, and to relax, I began meditating.

4. Gerund Phrases