Remember that the subject doing the ING’ing must be the same as the WHO doing what. The THING doING the INGing must follow the comma!

Examples:

Aching for a chocolate treat, Benedict raided the candy box.

Holding Mom's hand, the toddler behaved well through the shopping trip.

Starting your sentence with a prepositional phrase.

Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase is a phrase (or group of words) that begins with a preposition. Prepositions are words that often show time, place, or movement.

Some of the most common prepositions are:

Prepositions naturally like to reside at the end of sentences. Placing them at the beginning of a sentence makes your writing more interesting and appealing.

Examples:

Under the kitchen table the dog cowered.

Under the pile of clothes, we found his wallet.

On the sand of the beach, we relaxed in the sun.

Beyond the spreading chestnut tree, the village smithy stands.

Starting a sentence with a dependent clause is a great way to vary your writing.

www.asia.b will help you remember some of the common subordinating conjunctions.

when

while

where

as

since

if

although

because

Examples:

• While at the store, I picked up a fresh gallon of milk
• Because I failed to properly set my alarm, I was running late for class.

Commas are used after the dependent clause when used at the beginning of a sentence.

You DO NOT need a comma when your your subordinating conjunction comes in the middle of a sentence.

Examples:

• I picked up a fresh gallon of milk while at the store.
• I was running late for class because I failed to properly set my alarm.