5th grade commas after introductory phrases worksheets
Many sentences open with a warm-up before the main event: a phrase (after the storm), a clause (if you finish early), or a transition (according to the survey). Fifth graders place a comma at the end of that introductory element.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.2.b.
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The kind of sentences you'll fix
Add the missing comma to each sentence.
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Before the test review your vocabulary list.
Fixed: Before the test, review your vocabulary list.
- By the time we arrived the pie was half gone.
- Throughout the long windy night the surf rearranged the beach.
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Fix it. Add the missing comma to each sentence. 8 sentences to fix per page.
- Choose the sentence. Circle the letter of the sentence with the comma in the right place. 8 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Teach the doorway image: the opener is the porch, the comma is the doorway, and the main sentence lives inside. To find the boundary, ask who or what the sentence is about; the comma lands right before that subject. The wrong options on these sheets cut the opener too early, which sounds obviously off when read aloud.
Watch for: The comma comes at the end of the whole opening phrase, not after its first word. Short openers like 'Yesterday' follow the same rule: Yesterday, we won.
Common questions about commas after introductory phrases
- How do I find where the comma goes?
- Find where the main part of the sentence begins and place the comma just before it. In "After the storm, we raked the yard," the main part starts at we, so the comma closes the opener right there. Watch commands: in "If you finish early, start tomorrow's reading," the main part begins at start, with no subject written.
- Do tiny openers like "Yesterday" really need a comma?
- Style guides split on one-word openers, but school writing teaches the comma, and it's never wrong to include it. These worksheets use openers long enough that the comma is clearly required, so the rule stays unambiguous while it's being learned.
Related worksheets
- 6th grade commas after introductory phrases A step harder, same skill
- 5th grade commas in compound sentences Same grade, nearby skill
- Commas after introductory phrases, all grades The full progression
- All 5th grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 5th grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.5.2.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.
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