Commas After Openers

What is an opener?

An opener is a word or short phrase at the start of a sentence. It often tells when, where or how something happens before the main idea. We put a comma straight after it. ✏️

After lunch, we played outside. 🍽️

The opener is After lunch, and the comma shows a tiny pause before the main part.

Openers tell when, where or how

Opener	It tells us	Example
Suddenly,	how/when	Suddenly, the lights went out. ⚡
In the garden,	where	In the garden, birds sang. 🌳
Slowly,	how	Slowly, the snail moved. 🐌
First,	when	First, we wash our hands. 1️⃣

Why use the comma?

The comma is like a tiny breath. ⏸️ It separates the opener from the main idea so the sentence is easy to read. Read these aloud and feel the little pause:

Suddenly, it began to rain. 🌧️

In the box, we found a kitten. 🐱

Tiny time openers

Short words like First, Next, Then and Finally are handy openers for instructions and stories. They keep your writing in order.

First, crack the egg. Next, stir it. Then, cook it. 🍳

A handy check

Read your sentence out loud. If your voice pauses after the first word or phrase, that is where the comma goes. 👂

Play and practise

Play the matching game to find each opener. Then build a tiny opener word with the letter tiles.

Keep going

Try these next:

• Lists: Commas in Lists
• Joining ideas: Joining Words: and, but, because

Now your sentences start in style! ✨ Well done! 🌟