Commas With 'In the beginning', 'At first', 'At the start', etc.

At the start of a sentence, you can optionally add a comma after “at the beginning of...”, “at the start of...”, “in the beginning”, or “at first” to avoid confusion, add emphasis, or signal a pause. In case of doubt, use it to help readers understand the meaning of the sentence.

Commas With Adverbial Participle Phrases

When introducing a sentence with an adverbial participle phrase, add a comma after it. In the middle or at the end of a sentence, commas are frequently unnecessary.

Commas with Adverbial Infinitive Phrases

When introducing a sentence with an infinitive phrase, add a comma after it. In the middle or at the end of a sentence, commas are generally unnecessary.

When to Use Commas With Adverbial Clauses

When starting a sentence with an adverbial clause, place a comma after it. If the adverbial clause follows the main clause, commas are generally unnecessary.

Commas With Sentence Adverbs

At the start of a sentence, add a comma after a sentence adverb to signal that it modifies not the word that follows but the entire sentence that follows.

When to Use Commas With 'Hopefully'

When meaning "I hope", use commas to set off the sentence adverb "hopefully". When using "hopefully" as a regular adverb, we do not generally place a comma to separate the adverb from the word (verb, adjective, or adverb) it describes.