Introductory Phrases:
* Prepositional phrases: These start with a preposition (e.g., "on," "in," "with," "to") and function as adverbs or adjectives.
* Participial phrases: These start with a participle (a verb form ending in -ing or -ed) and function as adjectives.
* Infinitive phrases: These start with "to" followed by a verb and function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
* Gerund phrases: These start with a gerund (a verb form ending in -ing) and function as nouns.
* Absolute phrases: These consist of a noun and a participle and modify the entire sentence.
Introductory Clauses:
* Adverbial clauses: These are dependent clauses that modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb in the main clause.
* Noun clauses: These are dependent clauses that function as nouns in the sentence.
Examples:
Introductory Phrases:
* After the long day, he was exhausted. (Prepositional phrase)
* Smiling brightly, she greeted her friends. (Participial phrase)
* To finish the project on time, we worked overtime. (Infinitive phrase)
* Running errands is a necessary part of daily life. (Gerund phrase)
* The sun setting over the horizon, the sky was ablaze with color. (Absolute phrase)
Introductory Clauses:
* Because it was raining, we stayed inside. (Adverbial clause)
* What he said was very interesting. (Noun clause)
Purpose of Introductory Phrases and Clauses:
* Provide context and background information: They help readers understand the setting, time, or situation of the main clause.
* Add emphasis to the main idea: They can highlight certain aspects of the sentence.
* Vary sentence structure and improve writing style: They make writing more interesting and engaging.