<p>My biggest trouble in this section is "Introductory Phrases". I know these phrases need a comma afterward, but I have trouble identifying an introductory phrase. </p>
<p>I read something that the main subject and verb cannot be part of the introductory phrase, but I'm not too sure if that is right. Would someone elaborate??</p>
<p>Thanks!!!</p>
<p>although introductory phrases are hard to spot, with practice you can identify them easily.</p>
<p>see it?</p>
<p>they start with words like after, although, as, because, before, if, since, though, until, when, etc</p>
<p>But isn’t there a rule with subject/verb not allowed to be in the introductory phrase?</p>
<p>Introductory phrases do not necessarily take a comma. Most of the words that 1finite listed do not introduce introductory phrases; they introduce introductory adverbial clauses.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Phrases do not have subjects and verbs.</p>
<p>My bad 
</p>
<p>10char</p>
<p>I’m quoting from Cracking the Act…</p>
<p>21) The first thing that struck me as we entered the room where the painting was (displayed; ) was the size of the painting.</p>
<p>A. NO CHANGE
B. displayed:
C. displayed,
D. displayed</p>
<p>I chose ‘C’. The answer and B and the reason given is: Only (D) gives the sentence its appropriate flow and does not break up the compound subject and its verb.</p>
<p>Someone want to explain the compound subject and verb thing…?</p>
<p>The compound subject is: “The first thing that struck me as we entered the room where the painting was displayed.” It is long, but it is not an introductory phrase and therefore should not be separated from the verb, which is “was.”</p>
<p>An example of an introductory phrase requiring a comma would be:
“As we entered the room where the painting was displayed, the first thing that struck me was the size of the painting.”</p>
<p>The answer is (D). Think about the sentence this way:</p>
<p>The first thing [that struck me as we entered the room [where the painting was displayed]] was the size of the painting.</p>
<p>“The first thing” is being modified by “that struck me…,” and “where the painting…” is modifying “room.” You can disregard these modifiers when you are analyzing the fundamental syntax of the sentence: “The first thing was the size of the painting.” By putting a comma after “displayed,” you inappropriately break up the subject and its verb (you don’t write “The first thing, was the size of the painting”).</p>
<p>This has nothing to do with introductory clauses or phrases.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That is an introductory clause.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot! Makes so much sense!</p>
<p>Also, A would make it a fragment since the set of words following the semicolon is not an independent clause. For B, a colon would be used incorrectly in this situation since the words following the colon is essential to the sentence. For C, you are separating the verb from its subject. So D is the only one that works.</p>