# Introductory Prepositional Phrases

### Why should you put a comma after prepositional phrases?

An introductory prepositional phrase sets the scene for the main phrase. It is often to do with time or location, e.g. *In the evening* or *In 2022*. An introductory prepositional phrase starts with a preposition (words like *in*, *on*, *after*, *before*).\
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For short introductory phrases (fewer than four words), you can choose to add a comma or not. For longer phrases, you should always use a comma.

Short prepositional phrase:

* Correct: *In the Spring let’s go to Mexico.*
* Correct: *In the Spring, let’s go to Mexico.*

Longer phrase:

* Correct:    *On the first day of his holiday, Jimmy wanted to go sailing.*
* Incorrect: *On the first day of his holiday Jimmy wanted to go sailing.*

*Note*: you might also find these prepositional phrases in the middle of sentences after a conjunction, e.g. *He went to bed, and in the morning, he wanted to go sailing.* For these, you should follow the same rules as if they came at the beginning of a sentence.<br>